Mirror Image
by Unknown-de-Mordor
Summary: Naruto's and Sasuke's fate could have been reversed, but what would have done it? As it turns out all it takes is the death of one Umino Iruka. Massive canon divergence. NaruSasu/SasuNaru. Rated M for disturbing, violent, and sexual situations.
1. Chapter 1: A Simple Twist of Fate

**A/N:** Okay, before we start, here's a little list of warnings.

\- This is a** NaruSasu/SasuNaru fic**. Don't like, don't read.

\- Since this is a massive canon divergence, Sasuke's and Naruto's** characters are necessarily OOC**, although I will try to keep them as close to canon as possible.

\- Sakura is necessarily OOC because 1) I don't get her in the canon, so I am going to write her in a way I can understand 2) I always feel that she has so much wasted potential. I plan to make her a more important character later (how that is going to pan out is another story).

-** Disturbing, violent, and sexual situations** ahead. I will give specific warnings in each chapter, but, yeah, if you might be triggered by any of this, please proceed with care.

\- The plotline of this fic follows the manga (because I couldn't find the time to catch up with the anime) up to the Valley of the End (around chapter 18 if you want to skip a chunk). After that the plot diverges from the source material quite a lot, but I'm trying my best to incorporate the source whenever I can.

**Announcement:** I do realize that I have just decided to write an epic fanfiction and I have to say I'm freaking out (Ahhhh!). I have the first draft written up to chapter 33 but I don't know if I can make it to the end! So if anyone wants to join in, I'm more than happy to collaborate with you guys.

Also English is not my first language so I have problems with word choices, tenses, and punctuations. If anyone is interested in being a beta reader/editor for this story, please pm me. :)

Without further ado, here we go.

**Update 31/05/2015:** This chapter had been edited by Ashimodo, who patiently go through it with me. This chapter is now way better than what I can put out on my own. Thanks, man!

**Chapter 1: A Simple Twist of Fate**

It was the dead of night when Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped into the forest. The forest was quiet. Too quiet in fact, like the quietness that only came after a great storm...or before it.

He didn't know which one it was. It could be both.

The shinobi around him worked quietly, marking each speck of blood, each shuriken dropped. All of them avoided him and the small figure standing absolutely still in their midst.

"Naruto," he called out quietly, afraid to disturb the silence, "It is time to go."

Uzumaki Naruto, standing in front of the battered body of his deceased academy teacher, did not reply.

/***/

The news of Umino Iruka's death spread through the academy like wildfire, although in a hushed, terrified tone. Nobody knew exactly what happened. They only knew that Iruka fought bravely to save a forbidden scroll from being taken by an enemy ninja. They knew the culprit was apprehended. They didn't know that it was Mizuki who killed Iruka. They didn't know that it was Naruto who beat Mizuki half dead.

They also didn't know that Mizuki would have been dead if the jounin didn't stop Naruto. By the time they arrived, the shadow clones were all gone, leaving only Naruto who continued to punch Mizuki even though his right hand was already broken. He had to be pulled off with much kicking, screaming, and crying that seemed to go unheard, so after a while he stopped. Naruto hadn't talk much afterwards except in the Hokage's office when the old man questioned him about the incident. After everything, he was asked to keep what happened that night between them.

Not that it stopped Naruto's guilt or anger. Guilt because he was the one that fell for Mizuki's ruse and so dragged Iruka into the whole mess and got him killed. Anger because Mizuki was still alive. Justice hadn't yet been served.

He was allowed to graduate in light of his ninjutsu ability during the incident. Naruto suspected that it was partly a ploy to calm him down, but he accepted it nonetheless. He was exempted from going to briefing if he did not wish to. He knew it was because everyone, unbeknownst of Naruto's involvement, would be talking about Iruka. He told the Hokage that he was a ninja, so he'd do his duty and went anyway.

Probably for the first time in forever, Naruto was grateful for being ignored. Nobody asked him about his right hand, assuming it was an accident from one of his many pranks. They didn't realize that Naruto never pulled a prank that might cause him serious harm because it would be too much trouble. He lived alone with no one to take care of him. A broken right hand from a prank was out of the question. The convenience of the broken hand was that if anyone asked him why he was quiet, he could always say he was drowsy from the medication. No one did, though.

He sat in the back and watched as Sakura walked past him, bounces in her steps, to the still, dull figure of Sasuke Uchiha. She was trying to chat with him, but the Uchiha kept ignoring her. Naruto didn't understand why the guy had to always be such an asshole to their classmates. The Uchiha was a quiet guy, that he understood, but would it killed him to just acknowledged Sakura's existence when she was so nice to him? She was never like that around Naruto, not that he blamed her in light of Mizuki's revelation.

Actually, it all made sense now. After a decade of not knowing why, Naruto finally had an explanation that made his life thus far understandable even if it was still painful. If Iruka could find the heart to see him as Naruto and not the Nine-tails, why didn't everybody else?

His train of thought was interrupted when the teacher walked into the room to announce their teams. The name Uzumaki Naruto barely registered to most of his classmate. Sakura noticed, though. She stood up with a loud "What?" and proceeded to look for him. She had a hard time doing so since Naruto wasn't wearing his trademark orange jacket that day. It was doused in too much blood to be cleaned, so the Hokage offered him another jacket instead. It was white with small black stripes on the rims and along the sleeves. Although, Naruto wasn't partial to it, he didn't have enough clothes or money to say no.

Catching sight of him, Sakura frowned. He just gave her his usual face-splitting grin.

He could avoid his teammates at lunch, but he couldn't do so when they came back for the afternoon briefing and were asked to sit in teams. He slid into his seat beside the Uchiha, who took a look at him from the corner of his eyes and raised his eyebrows at the cast and sling. Naruto made a face that meant "Fuck off" and proceeded to sit in silence. As soon as their Jounin instructor came, it would be over. They were just supposed to get to know each other then Naruto could go home and rest. This briefing was more exhausting than he first thought.

But their jounin instructor didn't show up, not for a long time, long enough for Naruto to doze off in his seat. Sakura starting pacing after a while and the Uchiha, well, he just sat there like he did for the past several hours. Sakura still tried to chat with Sasuke. Sasuke was still ignoring her. And Naruto was just listening to Sakura's voice with his eyes closed.

The nap gave him enough energy to follow their jounin instructor, who appeared phenomenally late, to a walkway where they sat down and began to chat. He asked them to introduce themselves and Naruto, knowing he'd be zapped of energy soon, volunteered to go first.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What I like is instant ramen. What I hate is the three-minute wait," he said. The sentences felt like a lie to him, but he went with them anyway. He wasn't allowed to talk about that night, so he couldn't say he hated Mizuki, hated him enough to want to see him hanged with his body swinging in the wind. He didn't know what he liked, not right now. And his dream. "I want to be the strongest ninja," he blurted out. That was how he felt watching Iruka's body lying in the pool of blood. Iruka died because he wasn't strong enough. If he was the strongest ninja, nobody could ever harm the people important to him again. He knew he was probably the weakest in class, but he'd get there somehow.

Sakura looked at him in surprised but didn't say anything. He realized his mistake then. For years he was bragging about a different goal entirely, as late as last week even. Suddenly switching to another would signal to anybody that something was off, so he added, "So I can become Hokage and people will recognize me," and grinned.

The jounin Hatake Kakashi nodded and motioned Sakura to follow. Of course, she liked Sasuke and hated Naruto. It was not a surprise, but he faked a broken-heart expression for her anyway. In truth, he wasn't feeling anything of the sort. He barely felt anything at all, actually. Sakura seemed like a faded presence, as did the Uchiha acting all broody and intense. His dream was to kill somebody. Naruto had a vague idea who it might be. After seeing Iruka fell before his eyes, all he wanted was to kill Mizuki. It was such an all-consuming rage that Naruto knew he could not get out of, not until Mizuki died.

He noticed that Kakashi was looking at him instead of the Uchiha even when his goal wasn't something a thirteen-year-old genin should aspire to. A moment later he noticed Sakura gaping at Sasuke, lost and a little horrified. No, another mistake again. He should have gawked at the bastard or something. He had been too stoic. Stupid medication.

But Kakashi didn't say anything, he simply diverted his attention back to the group. "Right, our first mission is supposedly tomorrow." He paused. "But Naruto here suffered a serious injury to his right hand and can't form any seals right now, so it would be unfair to do it right away. I got special permission to conduct the exam next week instead; that is if he could move his right hand at all by that time."

"Exam?" Sakura blurted out. "But I thought -"

"Your Academy exams are jokes compared to what a real genin has to face," Kakashi continued. "To make sure you have any chance of surviving a genin mission at all, we do survival training. You three will go up against me. If you fail, you will go back to the Academy."

Sakura just gawked at Kakashi, not knowing what to say. Naruto knew she wanted to protest. Sakura had been one of the very smart, very hard-working students coming from a civilian family. Graduating and becoming a ninja had been her goal before Sasuke. But if That Night taught Naruto anything, it was that whatever was taught in the Academy really was a joke. Nothing they had seen had prepared them for an enemy that was out for their blood in the deep darkness of the night.

Naruto shuddered slightly. He fought the urge to hug himself. He wouldn't be weak anymore; he swore to that. He would be strong, stronger than anyone.

Again he noticed Kakashi looking at him from the corner of his eyes. It was brief, but there was a flash of something there that irked Naruto. He bet Kakashi knew what happened. He bet he was ready to fail him just so the Nine-tails boy would never become a ninja.

No, he wouldn't allow that.

"A week then," Naruto said and nodded. His voice was hoarse even to his own ears. Kakashi openly stared at him and then nodded in return. He pulled out a few sheets of paper and handed them around. They were instructions: time, place, and necessary preparations. Naruto barely read it all before they were dismissed.

A week wasn't a long time to heal from a broken hand. It wasn't that bad, but the doctor said he would give it a month with some therapy to ensure that it would be fully functional again. A week was just Kakashi's courtesy so it looked like he gave Naruto a chance. There wasn't a chance for him to use much ninjutsu for this training. Naruto had to come up with something else.

That was why he was on the training field the entire week, testing the ability of his left hand and arm and looking for strategies he could use. Naruto might be dumb, but he wasn't that dumb. He knew he had to get prepared if he wanted to pass.

In that following week, he heard news of people failing. Sixty-six percent failure rate, they said. The number only made Naruto worked harder. Some of the days, he noticed the Uchiha on the training ground as well. Sometimes he would stop by to watch Naruto and stay long enough so he could snort at Naruto's mistake. Naruto just huffed and went back to work.

They pretty much ignored each other until the day of the test. The three of them were there exactly on time without breakfast. He was quite awake, but still pretty groggy from the pain medication. He took a seat on the grass and tried to talk to Sakura as they waited. Sakura, in turn, tried to talk to Sasuke. Sasuke, still as rude as ever, didn't say anything, but he occasionally stared at Naruto's right hand still in the cast and all. Naruto was pretty sure the Uchiha thought he wouldn't make it.

Two hours later, Kakashi finally showed up, giving them a lame excuse about getting lost on the path of life or something. They all set to work soon after Kakashi confiscated their lunch boxes and showed them the two bells.

Just two.

Naruto swore one was going to be his no matter what.

"Come at me with the intent to kill," Kakashi told them, "or you will fail. You can use shuriken if you want."

The intent to kill? Naruto had plenty.

Sakura was clearly very concerned. She tried to warn Kakashi that he would come to harm. Naruto wanted to say that the guy was asking for it. Besides, he was a jounin. For new graduates like them, getting close to him alone would be a problem. Getting the bell would be another thing altogether. Kakashi told them this, in that condescending way of his that made Naruto a little angry.

Just to demonstrate that, Naruto pulled out a kunai with his left hand and aimed it at Kakashi's head. Before anyone could register what was going on, Naruto's hand along with the kunai was bent to the back of his head. The kunai never got the chance to leave his hand. Sakura gasped. He saw comprehension in her eyes. Yes, they were so going to have problems pinning this guy down.

"I haven't said start, yet," Kakashi said, "And aiming a kunai at a random person is dangerous."

"You're not a random person," Naruto said with a smirk.

Kakashi seemed to ponder what he said a little before letting his hand go. Naruto put the kunai back in place. "All right," he said, "Let's start."

At the word "start," Sasuke and Sakura quickly disappeared. Naruto on the other hand simply twisted around. Kakashi quickly jumped out of his reach.

"You weren't going to hide like the others?" he asked. Naruto smirked.

"No, I'd rather take you down NOW!"

With that shout, he pulled out a handful of shuriken and threw them at Kakashi, who didn't even need to dodge them. He simply caught every single one of them. "You really want to kill me," Kakashi said.

"You said I should," Naruto replied.

Kakashi sighed. "There is a difference between the intent to kill and the killing," he said. "You know that."

Naruto's hand clenched. "SHUT UP!" he shouted as he launched himself at Kakashi again. This time it was a kunai. He threw one and quickly followed with another in his hand ready to stab Kakashi. He didn't expect Kakashi to move behind him.

"A ninja isn't supposed to be caught from behind," Kakashi said. From that angle Naruto couldn't see his attack, but he felt it in his bottom when Kakashi shouted "A Thousand Years of Death!"

The power of that hit was enough to send Naruto into a nearby pond. Bad landing place... or maybe not.

He didn't really want to use the shadow clone. It reminded him too much of what happened That Night, but he had no choice. He was going to defeat Kakashi. He was going to get the bell. He was going to be the strongest. He couldn't be the strongest if he faltered on a little thing like this.

He moved two fingers of his right hand into position to form the seal and followed it with his left hand. He managed to create eight clones. One of them used henge to turn into a big windmill shuriken, the others slightly larger than normal shuriken, which was a damn impressive feat if he might say so. He quickly grabbed them and kicked the bedrock, launching himself up with the oversized shuriken in hand, then kicked a boulder closer to the surface to send himself flying. There wasn't much time. He didn't have enough power to suspend himself in midair for long, but the few seconds the jump gave him were enough to aim the windmill shuriken at Kakashi before he fell to the ground.

As he expected, Kakashi dodged it easily. He looked at Naruto who was crouching near the pond still trying to catch his breath. "You're full of anger," he said. "Anger will not make you win."

"I know that," Naruto shouted and got to his feet. He was soaked, hungry, and tired, but he wasn't going to stop yet. He jumped and threw two more shuriken. He didn't wait to see how they were deflected before jumping to Kakashi's left side and throwing more. None of them hit his target, but none of that mattered. What mattered was seeing Kakashi's expression when the windmill shuriken turned into Naruto and grabbed hold of the jounin's back. At the same time, the littered shuriken transformed back into clones that swarmed the masked man under. The plan? Dog-pile Hatake Kakashi into submission.

"Did you get the bells?" Naruto shouted down at the clone who was supposed to hold Kakashi under the pile.

The clone shook his head. "I can't feel it," he said.

Yeah, that's the problem with the plan. He couldn't see Kakashi at all. How could he find the bells?

"He's not here!" One of the clones shouted. Well aware that it might be a ruse, Naruto released his clones anyway. No one was there aside from him.

"DAMMIT!" he shouted into the sky. Kakashi used substitution. He should have known that.

Then he saw something shiny under a tree - a bell. On instinct he moved towards it, but then stopped.

Would Kakashi be careless enough to drop it while he got away? Was he that desperate? No, Kakashi had to be better than that. Naruto smirked. He made another clone who walked forward and grabbed the bell. Sure enough, the trap was activated but not before the clone threw the bell at Naruto and Kakashi took it from mid-air.

"Impressive use of clones," said Kakashi, pocketing the bell as Naruto stood stunned. His clone had already disappeared into a puff of smoke. It didn't even register to him that Kakashi just complimented him. He was just angry, so angry that Kakashi just took what was rightfully his.

"I GOT THAT, BASTARD!" Naruto shouted as he charged in again. Kakashi dodged him easily, like he was dancing while Naruto aimed his fists and feet everywhere in his proximity in hope of hitting Kakashi even once. Before he realized it, Kakashi danced him into a tree. Another trap activated, tying Naruto to the trunk as he kicked and screamed.

"You're too angry, Naruto," Kakashi said patiently. "Your anger is going to become a great liability in the field."

"So? You're going to send me back for that?" he raised his chin in defiance. "I did what you told me to do, sensei. You can't just send me back because I'm pissed off!"

Kakashi sighed again. "You really don't understand, do you?" he said. "Your anger has made you blind, given you tunnel vision. You're not able to think clearly at all or you would've come up with a better plan." Then he turned and walked away. "I'll go take care of your teammates while you calm down."

Naruto groaned as Kakashi disappeared into the bushes. He was so close that he had basically touched the bell, but he still couldn't get it. In essence, he wasn't good enough to be a ninja. He let his head hang as emotions overcome him, and he stopped thinking just for a while.

/***/

Kakashi had the reputation of failing every team he was assigned to, so naturally, when the Hokage asked for an audience with him over lunch, he assumed that it would go something along the line of 'please don't fail them so hard anymore,' despite the fact that the Hokage never implied as such each time he handed in the failed grades.

As it turned out, that was not the case. It even started with an apology from the Hokage. "I know I am asking too much from you this time, Kakashi," the old man said with a sigh. "When the team was originally put together, the circumstances were rather different."

On the table in front of Kakashi were the three files of his students: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto.

Sakura's read like a typical school girl: civilian upbringing, above average intelligence, hard worker, but also easily distracted by fashion and boys.

Sasuke's, on the other hand, read like a tragedy: orphaned at the age of eight, traumatized by his psychopathic brother at the scene of the carnage, hyper-intelligent, secluded, single-minded, cold.

Naruto's file was the one that troubled Kakashi the most: orphaned from birth, bullied, a trouble maker, energetic, fierce protector of other children, almost committed a murder.

Sasuke's behaviour was consistent with his history if not a bit over the top. Naruto's was just chaotic.

"He was the one who stole the forbidden scroll," Kakashi stated flatly.

"Due to Mizuki's influence, yes," the Hokage replied and sighed. "He's a lonely boy. There isn't much I can do to make the villagers accept him. Children are very perceptive of their parents' attitude and give him a wide breadth since he got into the Academy. Only Iruka and Mizuki seemed invested in him."

"Essentially, he has no family, no friends, no one to give him guidance except you," said Kakashi. It was no secret that the fox boy met up with the Hokage often, mostly for the troubles he caused. "With Iruka's death, you're afraid he will become secluded and unstable."

The Hokage sipped his tea and, for a time, seemed lost in his own thoughts. "I don't think he was ever grounded," he said finally. "He also doesn't take orders very well. He has a problem with every authority figure, really."

Kakashi could feel the onset of a migraine creeping up his left temple. "Then why me?" he asked. He didn't have an excellent reputation regarding authority, either.

The Hokage eyed him. There was softness around his eyes that looked as if he was about to laugh. "Because you are not a slicker for rules either, Kakashi. You know how to see underneath the underneath and adapt accordingly. Naruto needs to be able see the underpinnings so he can understand why the rules are there. He and Sasuke also need to learn how to move on."

Kakashi understood then why he was chosen for this team. "Very well," he said. "I will gladly be their teacher if they pass the test."

"If," the Hokage nodded in acknowledgement. He still didn't tell Kakashi to ease up, so he didn't.

/***/

The alarm rang at noon and Kakashi sighed. Finally, the morning was over. He just needed to retrieve his students from their respective places, then he could get something to eat.

Sakura had been exactly as he predicted. She was the weakest of the three in terms of practical techniques, still feeble in mind and body, and the least imaginative. Sasuke was truly a surprise. He had been trained well in ninjutsu and was the smartest in its application. His strength was also his greatest weakness. He was too proud for his own good and did not spend adequate time studying his enemy.

As for Naruto, well, Naruto was definitely problematic. He was chaotic and imaginative, leading him to be unpredictable in the use of his techniques. But he wasn't a clear thinker, unlike Sasuke, and he was governed too much by his rage, a rage directed at his teacher for reasons Kakashi couldn't fathom. It might be the thing about authority figures the Hokage had mentioned, but that in itself was worrisome. If Naruto's aggression was a sign of emotional instability, he might need more help in handling the boy than the Hokage thought.

The thing that alarmed him the most was Naruto's behavior when he came to retrieve him with Sasuke and Sakura. He had expected him to calm down somewhat, but not cheerily greet them while whining about his arms falling asleep. He mostly tried to get Sakura's attention. He definitely got Kakashi's, who did not believe that anyone raging just an hour earlier would be in such high spirits shortly after.

But Kakashi didn't say anything about it. He told them what they needed to be told: they failed. They were pathetic and a disgrace. Honestly, Kakashi often wondered what they taught in the Academy that made all the students he had ever encountered such blatant failures. They all took it hard, of course, as he analyzed every single mistake they had made. They needed to realize that being a ninja was vastly different from what they imagined it to be.

Sakura looked on the verge of tears at the end of it, although she was good at asking questions for clarification. Sasuke lost it and tried to attack him, but failed. As for Naruto, he shouted and screamed. If he wasn't tied up to a tree, he would probably have attacked Kakashi, too. He was seething but also processing what the jounin had said. Out of the three, Naruto seemed to be the closest to understanding what it really took to be a ninja. He even knew about the Memorial Stone, undoubtedly from visiting it himself. The name Umino Iruka was carved there, after all. Yet, he could not surmise the purpose of the training.

"I will give you one more chance after lunch," Kakashi said; "Naruto, you don't get to eat anything."

The three of them were stunned. Even Sasuke looked like he needed an answer.

"Of the three, you failed the hardest," he said, "Your tactic is that of a common punk. You are driven almost solely by your emotion. I have told you this before when I left you to reflect on it. I want you to reflect some more in light of what I just said." Sasuke looked like he was about to protest, but Kakashi turned to him. "You'll be tied to a tree as well if you say another word, Uchiha. You and Sakura can have lunch, but don't give anything to Naruto or you will fail. He needs to think."

In truth, Sakura was actually the one who failed the hardest. Her emotions were all over the place and she couldn't even counter him. But he needed to observe Naruto's mood. If the profile was correct, Naruto would be beyond angry with Kakashi. He needed to know what the boy might do.

He didn't wait for Sakura to recovered from the shock or for Sasuke to come up with a protest. He was the rule. He told them that and disappeared, leaving the kids among themselves.

Sakura, as shaken as she was, was the first to reach for the lunch box. Sasuke seemed deep in thought for a while before he reached for his as well. Naruto held his chin high and ignored the growling of his stomach. There was a seething silence again, but he didn't share his thoughts with his teammates.

Kakashi noticed Sasuke watching Naruto as his stomach growled on. Then, surprising all of them, he held his lunch box towards the blond boy. "You'll slow us down if you don't eat," he said. Naruto just blinked at him without comprehension.

"But- Sasuke-kun, if Kakashi-sensei -" Sakura began her protest.

"I don't sense him anywhere close by. We'll be alright," Sasuke reassured her as he began to pick a roll up with his chopsticks and held it to Naruto's mouth. "Besides, people can't think with an empty stomach. His order is just bullshit."

Sakura coughed at the comment. Naruto, finally comprehending what was going on, opened his mouth and ate the roll.

Satisfied that Naruto was eating, Sasuke picked another roll and ate it with the same chopsticks. Sakura made another distressed sound before she slapped her face twice, picked up her box and chopsticks, and came to stand in front of Naruto. "You can have mine, too," she said as she picked up a bite-size piece of sausage. "You won't get enough from just sharing Sasuke-kun's lunch."

Naruto ate the sausage quickly with a smile. "Sakura-chan's lunch is the best," he said with a wide smile at her. Sasuke rolled his eyes, muttered something about ungrateful dopes, and fed him a piece of sweetened egg. "Yours isn't bad either, Sasuke," Naruto said and beamed at both of them. "Thanks."

So much for observing Naruto handling his anger, but, in all honestly, this was much better than anything Kakashi could have hoped for.

/***/

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2: Team

**A/N: **Since the story starts out pretty slow, I'm going to upload the first few chapters in quick successions. Hope this will give you a feeling of where I'm going with this. :)

Also thanks for the following and review! I've never got one so fast, hehe.

**Chapter 2: Team**

Sakura was elated.

She passed the genin test. She was in the same team as Sasuke-kun. Kakashi-sensei might be creepy, but he was totally cool in his own rather eccentric way. The best part? Kakashi-sensei never passed anyone. They were the very first team. Being tested by the harshest jounin instructor ever and passed was an icing on her three-layer cake.

She went home that evening with bounces in her steps. Her mother asked how her day was and she told her the news. There was much joy and celebration when her dad came in and hugged her tightly, telling her how proud he was.

Her parents demanded the details. Sakura pretty much skipped the part where she fainted from Kakashi's genjutsu and told them mostly about their lunch. With the mention of Naruto, the tension in the room changed. Sakura had noticed this for some time when she complained about Naruto coming after her. She had thought it was her parents' annoyance at her ranting. Sakura did that less and less these days. But this time, she knew it wasn't. She knew it was somehow because of Naruto.

She finished her story and took a sip of the miso soup. The strange atmosphere didn't dissipate.

"Will you still be teaming with Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun, Sakura?" her mother asked. Her voice was strangely strained.

"Yes, Kaa-san. Sensei said the team members were chosen so that we can work on each other's weakness and strength. I'm really looking forward to training with Sasuke-kun!" she answered excitedly.

"Hmm," was her mother's reply as she ate her food. Her father was oddly quiet.

"Tou-san, Kaa-san," she began, "Is there something wrong with Naruto?"

She knew she was onto something when both her parents froze albeit only briefly. "Didn't he annoy you all the time in the Academy, Sakura? He'll probably distract you from your work if he is in the team," said her mother.

"Yeah, he's annoying," Sakura said; "I wish he isn't in the team sometimes, but I think if we have missions, he'll be all right. I mean, when he fought Kakashi-sensei, he was very focused and really giving his all. Kakashi-sensei still won, of course, but Naruto was a good fighter." She didn't tell them, of course, that she barely fought Kakashi-sensei at all. It was embarrassing to know that she was the weakest of the three. That was why she was really puzzled when Kakashi-sensei said Naruto failed the hardest and punished him.

The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that there was something important she wasn't aware of. Like the reason her parents became so tense about her teaming with Naruto, or the reason for Naruto's injury, for instance. But she was perceptive enough to know that they would not tell her not matter what their objection was.

So she played the part of a good, obedient daughter and finished her food.

/***/

Sasuke trudged back into Konoha with rather heavy feet. He stopped for a takeout at a bento shop for dinner and went straight home like always. He shut the door with more force than he should and positively threw the bento on his kitchen table.

Sasuke was frustrated.

He passed the genin test, sure, so were eight others including Sakura who pretty much just fainted all the time. What would a test like that even mean if all it took was to share your lunch with your loser of a teammate. Fighting Kakashi was enlightening, of course. He never fought a jounin before, let alone someone at Kakashi's level. He had researched Kakashi before their meeting and was frankly impressed by the man's track record. Now he had a good sense of what he was supposed to work for. He knew he should start right away.

But he couldn't concentrate and that was the most frustrating thing; he couldn't take his mind off Naruto.

He didn't really know the Dead-last. They just fought each other from time to time since they entered the Academy. Naruto was loud, brash, annoying, frustratingly optimistic. Sasuke had seen him being bullied over and over in the Academy, heard mean and outrageous gossips about the boy among the students and their parents. Still, Naruto remained unperturbed. He put his nose where it didn't belong and got punched or blamed for other people's wrongdoing. Sasuke never understood why he didn't just turn his back on others when they were never considerate to him. Sasuke would have done that many times over.

That was to say he knew Naruto had been through quite a lot, but all those times Sasuke had never known him to be an angry individual, not until today.

The way Naruto fought Kakashi was fueled by pure rage. He had never seen Naruto fight like that, not even when they were positively strangling each other. If anyone was to be fueled by such emotion during a fight, it should be Sasuke, but he had long learnt how to keep his head cool in those situation thanks to a certain idiot.

Then there was his right hand. If Naruto got into a fight epic enough to break a hand, Sasuke would expect Naruto to be talking non-stop about it even if he lost. Naruto said nothing. He was basically out of energy during the briefing, something Sasuke had never thought possible. He trained hard to be able to use his left hand for the test, but Sasuke could always see the strain on Naruto's body as he kept pushing himself further and further. Admirable but also incredibly stupid.

Then there was the message from the Hokage.

Sasuke was sure he wasn't supposed to hear the conversation, but he wasn't quite out of ear shot yet when an ANBU arrived to tell Kakashi and Naruto that the Hokage would like to see them as soon as possible.

They didn't ask what about, but the look on their faces said they shared a knowledge. Naruto nodded and turned to Kakashi, demanding that they go at once. Sasuke was tempted to follow, but this was the _Hokage_'s office for crying out loud. He would be dead if he went around snooping.

So he walked home, trying to get his curiosity under control. It didn't quite work.

Something happened to Naruto, something bad. That was all he could tell. Did one of those people hostile to Naruto beat him up? No, that had already happened, then...

Sasuke's thought stopped at Iruka-sensei. Naruto was known to be fond of the teacher although he was strict to the boy. At least he looked Naruto in the eyes when the boy asked stupid questions, and everyone knew Naruto was an attention whore. He heard that Iruka died just a few days before their briefing. The timeline perfectly coincided with Naruto's injury.

Was Naruto involved in that fight? How? He heard that a forbidden scroll was stolen and essentially the shinobi were in riot to get it back. It might have been a coincidence that Naruto got involved, but Sasuke wasn't a believer in coincidence. One possible scenario was that it was the idiot who stole the scroll, the kind of prank he would definitely pull just to show people that he could. Knowing the Dope, Naruto probably plan to return it to the Hokage in the morning being all smug for bypassing the security. But Iruka found him first. Then-

No, this picture was incomplete. There was something else missing.

/***/

"Mizuki's dead?"

The word that came from Naruto's mouth sounded like pure disbelieve. Hiruzen nodded. "His brain had swollen quite badly. The doctor was unable to ease it even after surgery. We had to let him go," he added.

"Serve the bastard right," was the reply from Naruto. His voice was hoarse and hollowed, layered with anger, and sounded lost.

Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto, do you understand what this means?" he said. His own voice was like that of a tired old man to his ears.

Naruto just looked at him with a blank stare. "That I have avenged Iruka-sensei?" the boy said although he seemed uncertain.

Hiruzen shook his head. "That is true, Naruto. However, Mizuki was a chuunin. Why do you think he wanted a forbidden scroll?"

"To get stronger, of course," Naruto replied with confident. Hiruzen shook his head again.

"He wouldn't even have a chance to learn the jutsu before we found him. What do you think we do to people caught stealing those kind of things?"

Naruto gave him a blank look again. This time Kakashi, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke, "He would have been trialed as a criminal, stripped of his rank, and possibly had his chakra bounded. He wouldn't be a ninja anymore."

Naruto gulped. He looked again at Hiruzen. There was fear in his eyes. "That would not be your fate, Naruto, although I hope you keep that in mind if you ever thought of stealing forbidden scrolls again," he said with a gentler voice. Naruto nodded. "The point is Mizuki's life couldn't have remain the same after he got his hands on the scroll. Mizuki might not be an elite ninja, but he was smart enough to know this. The only reason he would act so brashly is either because he would never be found with the scroll or he would be gone with the scroll. In both cases, he was working for or with somebody. We want to know whom."

Naruto seemed to caught up with them then. "So, if Mizuki's dead, then we don't know who it is," Naruto muttered.

"Precisely," Kakashi said. "You stealing the scroll was the setup by Mizuki, so he could get his hand on the scroll. Mizuki getting the scroll was a way for an outside enemy to obtain Konoha's secret. The underneath of the underneath. If you weren't driven by rage, then Mizuki might have been subdued without threatening his life and we would have learnt the truth - "

"What would you have me do!?" Naruto shouted at Kakashi. He was positively on the verge of tears. "Have you ever watch the person you love got killed? The only family you ever have? I'm not sorry I killed him. Don't guilt trip me!" The last part was shouted to Hiruzen more than Kakashi. The Hokage sighed again and gave a stinky eye to Kakashi. Sometimes the man just had no tact.

"It wasn't my intention," Hiruzen said. "I just want you to understand that there is a bigger picture here. Sometimes an explanation can help ease the pain left behind."

Naruto seemed to have calmed down. He nodded, then asked, "Is there still a way to find out who it is?"

"Perhaps," Hiruzen replied; "They might try again. We have to be ready this time."

Naruto looked at him and nodded. He sniffed loudly and said, "Okay."

Hiruzen walked over and patted the boy's head gently. Watching Naruto being like this broke his heart. If anyone was to be blamed for this boy's suffering, he was sure it was him.

/***/

Kakashi gave them a few days of rest after the test mostly for Naruto's hand to recover from the fight. Naruto might try not to show it, but the pain had come back from overusing. Even Sakura noticed his occasional winces, so Naruto took his order grudgingly but stuck to it. On the fourth day they started a mission because Naruto insisted that his hand was fine again, so Kakashi got them an easy one: a babysitting job. None of them were very appreciative of the choice, but they followed his orders anyway. After all, they knew that Kakashi was serious about punishing them if they stepped out of line.

On the next mission, they helped prepare for a three-day festival in the East part of the village. Sakura had been to this festival before and was talking non-stop, describing the shops she saw. Her attempt to gain Sasuke's attention failed as the Uchiha only focused on building a booth, not that it made her falter.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun would you like to come to the festival with me?" she asked with a wide cheery smile.

His mother taught him that a direct question required a direct answer, so he replied, "No, we have missions." Then he proceeded to put a nail through a plank.

Sasuke looked a little confused. "But the festival goes on at night, too. Maybe we can have dinner and -"

"I don't like festivals," Sasuke said with finality. He put another nail through the same plank and gave it a shake to make sure it was sturdy. "Why don't you ask Naruto? He would be happy to come with you."

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Naruto winced a little. He was sanding the side of the booth that Sasuke had finished. For a moment, he thought the dope hurt his right hand again, but Naruto was only using his left.

Noticing Sasuke's stare, Naruto paused and said, "Don't be an asshole, Sasuke. She asked you, not me. Don't shove me in her face."

"You shove yourself in her face."

"That's different, bastard."

"Could you two please not talk about me like I'm not here?" Sakura interjected as soon as she finished putting up the street decoration nearby. She sighed. "What if all of us come as team seven, with Kakashi-sensei, would that be fine?"

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow as he turned back to her. She was really desperate to spend some time out of work with him; he could tell. To his surprise, it was Naruto who said, "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I can't."

Sakura looked surprised. She probably thought Naruto was as desperate for her as she was for Sasuke. "Why not?" she asked.

"I... I have training to do," Naruto said lamely.

"Oh, err, okay," replied Sakura. She sighed again and went back to work.

The street decoration she had to put up took her to another side of the street, a good ten meters away, so Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Why don't you just tell her you don't like festivals?" he asked.

Naruto expression was that of a trapped animal. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He said, "We'd already be training anyway. Taking an evening off is not a big deal. Your excuse is just lame."

"Shut up, bastard. As if yours were fantastic."

"I was honest," Sasuke said and went back to nail another plank to the wooden frame, the last one on this booth. Naruto didn't say anything as he turned back to sanding the rest of his side.

Sasuke finished his work first since Naruto's had to follow after his and there were plenty of street decoration for Sakura to put up. Because of that Kakashi saw it fit to send him for snacks and sodas from the end of the street. Sasuke sighed and took the shopping bag from the Jounin. Shopping duty was not his things especially when mothers and daughters alike would dote and nag him. He got free stuffs sometimes, but it wasn't worth it.

It took him some time to extract himself from a rather forward civilian girl manning the booth for snacks and sodas for the festival workers. When he came back, Naruto was no where to be seen. "He finished his job, so he said he'd like to leave. Said he wasn't feeling well," Kakashi told him when Sasuke asked. It didn't make sense. Kakashi said they had to stay together until the end of the mission no matter whose job got done first and Sakura was still working.

"Why did you let him?" Sasuke asked. It was against Kakashi's usual code, so it had to be something serious. The Dead-last looked fine all day, so it was clearly not his health. Unless... "Did he hurt his hand-"

"No, Sasuke, but it's touching to see that you care," Kakashi said with a face-crinkling smile as Sasuke blushed in embarrassment. "Sakura is almost done anyway. Why don't you take Naruto's share of snack and soda to him and see how he is doing?"

Sasuke could really tell something was up. He just couldn't figure out what, so he nodded and put Naruto's share in his backpack. He finished his share as Sakura finished up her job and took her portion. They parted way shortly after - Sakura thankfully not nagging him about a date - and Sasuke headed over to Naruto's apartment.

Nobody replied after the first knock, the second, or the third. Running low on his patient, Sasuke stepped back and kicked the door with his foot, "Open up, you dead-last," he shouted, probably startling the neighbors. That the dope's punishment for making him wait.

He heard quick footsteps from behind the door before it flung opened. Within was Naruto, half-naked, clearly bathed, right arm haphazardly put on a sling, with a few ugly cuts and bruises on his torso.

"What the hell, bastard?" Naruto growled; "You're trying to get me evicted or something?"

Sasuke just handed him the snack and soda. "Kakashi told me to give this to you," he said.

Naruto blinked at him, at the objects in his hands, then back at him some more. "Uh, thanks, but you can keep it."

Sasuke's temple throbbed. "You moron, I walked across town to give this to you. This is how you show your appreciation!?"

"What do you want me to do!? Bow down at the mercy of the Great Uchiha Sasuke!? Forget it, bastard!"

Sasuke was about to yell something back when a neighbor poked her head out and shouted at them both to shut up or she'd tell the landlord to evict Naruto. Naruto didn't reply to her. He held his chin up and retreated into his room, leaving the door wide open for Sasuke to follow right in and cringed. Naruto's apartment was ... more of a dumpster than anything. The floor was full of... things, some unnamed and unrecognizable. Sasuke was quite reluctant to take off his shoes.

Naruto must have seen this because he said. "Don't bother, bastard. I'm just gonna explain to you why you can keep my share and you can just leave afterwards. The problem is I can't open the soda bottle or the snack bag like this."

Sasuke looked at Naruto's right hand and felt himself a fool.

"Get it now? Now leave, I have to get back to... erm," Naruto's voice trailed off like he didn't know which word to use.

But Sasuke didn't move from his place by the door. He asked, "When did you last clean the room?"

For a brief moment, Naruto looked like he was in distress, but he schooled it quickly. "It's my apartment. I'm not asking for your-"

"A direct question needs a direct answer, Naruto. When. Did. You. Last. Clean."

Naruto looked at his right hand in the sling and scratched the back of his head.

"Figure," Sasuke said. He stepped into the kitchen, his shoes still on, and dropped his backpack on the table.

Naruto blinked at him in confusion, but as soon as he realized what was going on, he grabbed Sasuke's arm with his left hand and shoved him back slightly. "I don't need your pity, bastard. I can handle this when I'm better."

"You'll probably be kicked out of here before that, moron. No wonder they threatened you with eviction. This place stinks," Sasuke said before he asked, "Where are the garbage bags?"

Naruto blinked again and pointed to a cupboard.

Sasuke got himself past the pile of milk cartons and shoved opened the cupboard full of cleaning supplies. It probably took him a good half an hour to clear out all the garbage in the kitchen with Naruto's help and another two hours scrubbing the surfaces within inches of their lives. He threw out everything that expired in the cupboard, much to Naruto's protest, and cleaned the dishes, by the end of a long three hours, the kitchen was a livable space with a floor clean enough to walk on bare feet.

Naruto made them instant ramen, the only carb he had in the house, and topped it with some jerky that Sasuke checked hadn't expired. They ate in silence for the next fifteen minutes in complete and utter exhaustion.

"Em, thanks," Naruto said as he put his chopsticks down. "Next time don't do that, bastard. I don't like being in debt to people, but...yeah... Thanks again."

It was a lousy, offensive way of showing appreciation, but Sasuke, oddly enough, sort of get it. He hummed an acknowledgement before taking the last slurp of his ramen. Instant ramen was all kind of disgusting, but he was oddly okay with it.

/***/

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3: Wave on Wave

**A/N**: It just occurs to me that I should warn you guys about this being really...slow...build for Naruto and Sasuke. These two have way too many issues especially with intimacy, so they are really, really bad at this. Please be patient, folks.

Warning for coarse languages and mention of child abuse in this chapter but nothing too heavy.

**Update 31/05/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo. Now it's waaaay better. :)

**Chapter 3:** Wave On Wave

Kakashi knew the Hokage was going to give him a long lecture, if not take his head off altogether, for his decision to continue to the Wave Country despite the fact that their little escort mission was definitely not C-rank. The mission categories existed so that the shinobi got missions that they could handle and fair pay in return for their skills and time. Doing a B-rank mission under the guise of a C-rank was not worth it... for most cases at least.

After listening to Tazuna's plight, it was hard not to sympathize with the bridge-builder. Of course, he dallied and threatened to abort the mission just to get Tazuna to open up about all the mission parameters upfront. Kakashi knew from that conversation how dangerous the mission was going to be, but they didn't have much choice in the matter.

The safest options were to get Tazuna either back to Konoha or back to his bridge as soon as possible. Getting him back to Konoha wasn't really an option because the man wasn't loaded enough to get a shinobi team for the B-rank this mission really was. Most likely he was going to go back to Wave Country empty-handed in clear and present danger. He wouldn't survive that trip, and that would lie heavily on Kakashi's conscience.

His team was divided on this. Sakura wanted them to turn back because they were clearly operating outside the established mission parameters, something she wasn't really comfortable with. Sasuke was indifferent as long as he got to kick some serious ass. Naruto was desperate to get this mission underway.

Kakashi could understand why. Naruto was outdone by Sasuke by a wide breadth when the Mist ninja attacked them. Naruto wasn't thinking fast enough to do more than put himself between the enemies and Tazuna. Sasuke, on the other hand, showed great calm and creativity in handling the situation. Naruto looked positively livid when Sasuke taunted him about it afterwards.

To Kakashi's ears, it had sounded like a tease - a harsh one, to be sure, but still a tease. Kakashi noticed that Naruto hadn't taken it that way at all. To him, it was a very personal attack. His hand had clutched on the kunai as he stared back at Sasuke like he wanted to put the thing through the Uchiha. Kakashi was mainly concerned with how touchy Naruto was, so he reminded the boys kindly that there was the mission they needed to think about in an effort to get Naruto's mind off the little jab and back to work.

Both Naruto and Sasuke was well-behaved the rest of the way. Sakura, however, was slightly rattled, so Kakashi encouraged Naruto to stick by her while Sasuke was mainly to shadow Tazuna. He didn't know if it was the correct decision since Naruto gave Sasuke dirty look more often than not.

When they had crossed the ferry to Wave Country, they thought the hardest part was over. As it turned out, it had just begun.

/***/

By the time they reached Tazuna-san's house, Sakura was basically drained. She, Naruto, and Sasuke-kun had taken turns dragging Kakashi-sensei's limp body with them from the pond where they fought Zabuza. Knowing that a dangerous man like Zabuza was dead had made the burden a little lighter, but just barely.

They were greeted by Tazuna's daughter Tsunami, who graciously laid out a futon for their teacher in a room set aside for them. Sasuke had been the proper young Uchiha lord with their host while Naruto... well, was Naruto. An orphaned boy grown up mostly on his own could hardly be expected to have good manners.

His manners aside, the fact that he was an orphan got her thinking. She had never heard any gossip about Naruto's parents, which was strange for a village like theirs where people generally knew others in their community very well, especially if they were shinobi. They must have been civilians, she concluded. They were probably casualties from the day Kyuubi attacked-

Wait, wait, wait, back up a bit, Sakura. When was Naruto born again?

She didn't know, not precisely. She was born the same year the Kyuubi attacked the village - most of the students in the class were- so she assumed Naruto was born sometime that year, too. But if her hypothesis on Naruto's parents being casualties of the attack were to be true, she needed to know his birthday.

She waited until Sasuke-kun left to clean himself up before plopping down next to Naruto, who was watching over Kakashi-sensei's unconscious form. Not that that was really necessary; they just felt that they needed to do something without imposing on the host. "Say, Naruto," she began. She could feel his eyes watching her. "When's your birthday?"

Naruto stared, then smiled, then positively sported a shit-eating grin. "Ne, Sakura-chan, do you want to go out with me now? Do you finally see that Sasuke is a jerk?" he rambled and leered. Not the real leering, actually. She didn't know why she didn't see it before then, but Naruto's behaviour, especially around her, was like he was copying a character out of a crappy rom-com.

She hit him in the head and said, "No. And answer my question. When's your birthday?"

"Ow, ow, you don't have to be mean like that. And it's October 10th. Why?"

It was the day the Kyuubi attacked.

Sakura wanted to congratulate herself on her success in forming a workable hypothesis, but then the curious blue eyes reminded her that she hadn't given any reason for asking yet. "Well, we're teammates now, right? I thought we might need to know each other a little better."

Naruto's face seemed to lightened up. "Really? Are you going to tell me your birthday, too? Can I get you a present this year?" he said with a wide smile on his face.

Sakura sighed. What did she just do to her life? "It's March 28th," she said. A spark of genius hit her then. "I'd prefer you don't get me anything, but if you do, you have to get a present for Sasuke-kun too, or I'll return yours."

"What!?" Naruto positively shouted. "Does the bastard even celebrate his birthday?"

"Language, Naruto," Sakura reprimanded. She felt like a mother. "And it doesn't matter if he celebrates it or not. A present shows our thoughts for him. And his birthday's July 23rd. Remember that."

Naruto looked at her and huffed. "Okay," he drawled, "if you say so Sakura-chan."

She smiled. Naruto wasn't that hard to deal with after all. "I insist," she said with a wide smile on her face.

Sasuke walked into the room then. Naruto looked at him and said, "My birthday's October 10th and Sakura-chan's is March 28th. Remember that!"

"Huh?" was Sasuke-kun's reply. He looked at Sakura like he was accusing her of giving Naruto weird ideas. Sakura just blushed, because technically she had.

Oh hell, that's a girl's life.

/***/

By the time Sasuke sat down to take his place watching over their teacher, he was relieved to see that Naruto was no longer angry at him. Sure it was days since he teased Naruto, but the boy seemed really hang up on it. Sasuke didn't get it. They called each other names all the damn time, but somehow that one riled Naruto up enough that they could've gotten into a serious fight.

It didn't make sense and that bothered the Uchiha greatly. He didn't think Naruto was going to be a danger to him if he really did try, but a mood swing like that did not seem normal or healthy. He wondered what Kakashi thought of it because it was obvious that everyone noticed. Their teacher, however, didn't say anything and simply tried to get Sasuke and Naruto to spend the least amount of time with each other, not that Sasuke minded. He didn't like touchy people anyway.

He was glad that whatever was on Naruto's mind had finally cleared, because it would've been really awkward sitting together like this otherwise. Everything was normal again. Naruto was trying to chat with Sakura. Sakura was trying to drag him into a conversation. And he just sat it out, like always.

After being more or less ignored for a good ten minutes after Sasuke sat down, Naruto suddenly changed tactics. "Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan. Can you explain bloodline limits to me?"

That got Sakura to freeze in place. She turned and looked at Naruto. "Didn't they cover that in class?" she said.

"Ah, I might have fallen asleep during class. Long lectures are tiring, you know," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head. "And I've never seen one until the Sharingan. I didn't think it was that important."

"Dumbass!" Sakura screeched. "Hinata-chan was in our class and she's got the Byakugan. Didn't you notice?"Naruto just shook his head. He just thought her eyes were different, that was all. "All right. Then let me explain it to you," Sakura said. It seemed that what she couldn't stand the most was ignorance. "Bloodline limits are special abilities that can be passed down through genetics. When a man and a woman creates a child, half of the genes of the father and the mother combine, so it is possible for a child to have either or both of the parents' abilities. The clan system among shinobi is mainly to preserve these abilities. For example, the Sharingan is a doujutsu passed down in the Uchiha clan, the Byakugan passed down in the Hyuuga clan."

"Wait, wait, does that mean the Bastard has Sharingan, too?" Naruto interrupted as he pointed rudely at Sasuke. Sakura hit him on the head again for his language.

"Being in a clan doesn't mean you'd necessarily have the ability, dumbass," he interjected. "The gene might not express in an individual if it gets suppressed by other factors. Sharingan, for example, is not expressed from birth like Byakugan. Only under special circumstances can Sharingan be 'awakened.'"

"Special circumstances?" It was Sakura asking this time. "What circumstance would that be, Sasuke-kun?"

"Tragic circumstances," was all Sasuke dared say, because he didn't quite know himself. If what was said were true, he should have awakened his Sharingan already, but he didn't remember noticing anything different in his field of vision. He didn't dare try to recall the memory of that time, either. What happened to his family seemed like a blur of jumbled up emotions, of one image after another. Sasuke remembered waking up the next morning and feeling lost, in time and space, like what was left was darkness. He hadn't dared shed light on it since.

Something in his expression might have given him away, because Sakura didn't ask any further, and Naruto was watching him closely. There was something like pity in his eyes, and Sasuke hated it.

Naruto was probably just as uncomfortable about it as he was since he quickly changed the topic. "Wait, does this mean Kakashi-sensei is secretly an Uchiha or something? He doesn't look like you at all, bastard."

The insult tore down the tension and brought them back to familiar territory once again. "No, that's a transplant," Sasuke replied.

"Eeh?" Sakura exclaimed. "Transplant?"

"It was known among the Uchiha that the Sharingan can be transferred to another, usually within the family," Sasuke said."A transplanted Sharingan can be activated or deactivated at will for an Uchiha. Kakashi can't do that. He had to keep his Sharingan eye closed when not in use so he doesn't get double vision, which means he doesn't have the bloodline limit. He's the first outside the clan I've known to have the eye."

"Ah, right. Usually clans are protective of their bloodline limit, aren't they?" Sakura said with a nod. Naruto just watched Kakashi and frowned.

"If that's a transplant, then something had to happen with the original owner, right?" Naruto asked. "Who gave it to him then?"

Sasuke didn't think it was their place to know, although he would loved to find out.

/***/

Naruto was still watching his teacher, deep in his own thoughts, when Kakashi suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. Naruto jumped back on instinct and landed on his rear. He was satisfied to know that Sasuke did exactly the same thing.

"Most likely Zabuza is alive," declared Kakashi in his state of unquestionable wakefulness. Naruto really didn't know how to take that news. Part of him was horrified at the prospect. Another part of him was rather satisfied with it.

Watching Zabuza being taken down by a young hunter-nin was like watching a titan fall from having an aneurism. It was anticlimactic, if not a little sad. You could be so strong and still die from something as little as that? As being punctured by two senbon? Did that still mean Zabuza was strong?

What did it mean to be strong?

But Zabuza was still alive, saved by those senbon that momentarily killed him, so trying to find an answer for this situation was pointless. He focused instead on Kakashi's compliment that he had gotten stronger. Naruto, however, was under no illusion that he was 'strong' yet. Sasuke still outdid him. Sakura was still smarter than him.

When Kakashi said he would train them, Naruto was more than eager. When Kakashi said it was tree climbing, the eagerness ebbed by a bit. But when he fell down from the tree trunk just a meter above ground while Sakura could climb to the branch, the fire was ignited again.

Competing with Sakura wasn't the first thing he had in mind. It was always Sasuke he looked to as the milestone, but this time Sakura outdid even Sasuke himself, so Naruto was going to change his aim. He was going to have better chakra control from this than Sakura. Sasuke could just be his loser self.

The problem was that Sasuke wasn't a loser, or at least he didn't stay a loser very long, anyway.

"Dammit," Naruto swore as he looked at the mark on the tree trunk. He hadn't gotten much higher from his first try at all. In all honestly, he could have gotten that high just from running full speed up the tree without the use of chakra. He wasn't doing this right. Something was missing big time and he didn't know what.

His eyes fell on Sakura, who was sitting and panting from exhaustion under another tree. She had climbed to the top and back twice already, but Kakashi said that she should still do some more laps so the control became natural, and Sakura did so even when she was tired. That was what he liked about her.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," he said in a whisper as he crouched down next to her. "Can you give me some hints?" he asked.

She looked surprised. After all, Naruto of the Academy years would have bailed the whole thing by now. The current Naruto wasn't going to, not when Zabuza was out there for him to beat. "Well, climbing the tree requires a precise amount of chakra like Kakashi-sensei said," Sakura began. "Since chakra is tied to your life energy, it's also tied to your emotion. If you get excited, your chakra control will get worse. So you have to be calm from start to finish. You can't worry too much about where you're going. You only have to focus on the steps you're taking."

Naruto blinked. "If I don't worry about where I'm going then how am I going to get there?" he asked.

Sakura sighed, thought about it for a moment, then said, "Fine, you still have to know where you're going, but you can't rush it. You're not just running to your goal as fast as you can, Naruto. You have to do it the right way, too. So if your first try can only get you two steps, then fine. Just be sure your feet stuck to the tree the entire two steps."

Naruto listened, then nodded slowly, "So you're saying I should focus on the tree?"

Sakura looked like she wanted to collapse for some reason, but then she sighed and said, "Yeah, focus on the tree. Your feet have to stick to the tree the whole time or it doesn't count, no matter how high you can go."

"Got it! Thanks, Sakura-chan," he said with a big smile as he got up. "And, erm, Sakura-chan. If you want to do some stamina training, jogging is a good start. Or I think so anyway. Hehe." He had to quickly run away afterward because he was feeling a little too awkward. He liked Sakura, liked her a hell of a lot, but he didn't quite know what to do around her when he wasn't trying to flirt.

He went back to the tree, looked up at the marks he had done, decided that they were all bullshit, and began to concentrate on his feet. 'Focus on the tree, not the mark. Make sure my feet stick on it,' he reminded himself before taking his first step, broke some of the tree's bark, then another, almost slipped, and then another, now firm and steady. His control wavered after five steps and he had to fall back, but now he knew what was supposed to happen. He knew how to make this work.

"Right, let's do this," and he ran up the trunk with a bit more speed. He got easily twice as high as his previous marks before falling back. He didn't miss the wide-eyed look Sasuke was giving him from the ground.

This training was definitely worth it.

/***/

When Kakashi returned, Sakura had actually jogged three laps vertically up and down and was about ready to fall face first, Naruto had made a record height of three times his first marking but couldn't reach it anymore, and Sasuke was clearly very frustrated. Kakashi decided to call it a day.

The dinner Tsunami served them was delicious. Sasuke, who'd had manners so far, lost it entirely and gorged down the food. Naruto was doing pretty much the same. Even Sakura was eating more than normal, but was still enough of a lady to not fall to the same lack of manners as the boys.

"Sakura did very well, today," Kakashi said after he told Tazuna what they had been up to. "She had even run a few laps vertically. I think she can escort you to the bridge tomorrow after a few laps in the morning. Sasuke and Naruto are progressing, but they'd still need a few more days to train."

"Leave it to the girls for delicate stuff, huh?" Tazuna chuckled. Tsunami offered Sakura a congratulations even though she didn't fully understand what they were doing. Inari, Tazuna's grandson, just huffed.

"They're still going to die," the boy said before gorging on some more rice.

"Inari!" Tsunami reprimanded him, but it was clear that he didn't listen to her at all.

"It's okay, Tsunami-san. We understand that he's just a kid," Sakura said with a smile, but her clutch on the chopsticks gave her away.

Everything would have been fine if Inari learned to shut up. "You're just a kid, too," he said. "You're all are going to die. This is so stupid."

Sakura was positively furious by that point, but Naruto took things into his own hands and threw his chopsticks hard enough to jab Inari's forehead. The boy cried out in pain, but Naruto just huffed.

"Why did you do that!" Inari screamed and started to cry. Tsunami and Tazuna looked horrified by the interaction. Naruto wasn't fazed.

"That's the difference between your kind of kid and my kind of kid, snot-face," Naruto said angrily. "You get poked and you cried like a baby. I get poked and I poke the fuck right back!"

"Naruto!" Sakura chided him, but Naruto was on a roll.

"I could have poked your eyes out, you know, and you didn't even try to protect yourself. You just sat there and took it. Who are you waiting for to save you? Your daddy?"

Tsunami and Tazuna looked really horrified now. Inari just screamed, "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

"Fucking right, I don't! I don't want to know your pathetic back story. If you're not man enough to get over it, go fucking die!"

"NARUTO!"

This time Naruto did stop. Everybody stopped. Kakashi made sure that they would. He knew his voice could have that power. That was why he didn't use it often.

"I think you are done with dinner. Go take a walk, please," he said. Naruto didn't argue. He just got up and left. The only sound they could hear for the next minute was Inari's sobbing into his mother's side. The tension in the room didn't dissipate. "I apologize for my student's behaviour," Kakashi said as he bowed to Tazuna and Tsunami. "He was out of line."

"He was," Tsunami agreed. Her voice was tight.

"Yes, but Inari was out of line as well," Kakashi said with a smile. Tsunami looked at him sharply. Like all doting mothers, she clearly didn't like him pointing out her child's bad behaviour. "He was the one who said Naruto was going to die first, so Naruto retaliated in kind. Like Naruto said, if anyone pokes him, he pokes right back."

Tsunami was silent for a moment, then, "He didn't have to throw the chopsticks."

"I agree. That was dangerous. Naruto was trained to throw sharp things since he was smaller than Inari. That could have caused serious, if not fatal, injury."

Tsunami looked horrified again. So did Inari, who clutched tighter to his mother. "What kind of place is that," she began, "that a child needs to learn to throw things like that?"

Kakashi sighed. "It's sad, but it is this world we live in, Tsunami-san. To become a shinobi, one must train from a young age to fight and endure. Naruto in particular has endured more than most. He never had a family. No one to look after him or dote on him. Naruto has only ever had himself and the way of the shinobi. Fighting is all Naruto has ever known, so he doesn't know how to give up or how to cry."

Inari, still by Tsunami's side, was watching him as realization dawned in his eyes. He still didn't let go of his mother. Kakashi was glad he didn't have to.

When he turned back to his students, he found Sakura looking at him. In her eyes was her own comprehension. She was wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes when Kakashi asked, "Sakura, where's Sasuke?"

She whipped to the side. The chair next to her was empty.

/***/

When Naruto started walking, he didn't know where he was going. His legs just took him down a familiar path, and before he knew it he was at the training ground where they had practiced that day. The markings on the trees was barely visible in the faint moonlight shadowed by the branches overhead.

He pulled out a kunai and threw it at the tree trunk. It hit one of the marks with a satisfying thud. Naruto wasn't the best kunai thrower in his class, but he wouldn't miss a target like that from such a short distance.

He walked over and pulled the kunai out of the trunk. Then he heard a rustle of the grass behind him and to the right. He flipped the kunai in his hand, twisted around, and threw it.

Sasuke dodged it. "What's with you today, Dead-last?" Sasuke said as he pulled the kunai from the ground.

Naruto didn't know what to say, so he stared.

"What? Something on my face?"

"What are you doing here, Bastard?" he asked.

"Making sure you don't throw this around too freely, that's what," he replied before throwing the kunai right back. It lodged itself snugly back into the tree.

Naruto grabbed it and pulled it out again. "I don't need a babysitter. Go tell Kakashi-sensei that," he said before putting the kunai back into his pouch. Sasuke snorted in reply but didn't say anything, so Naruto stared at him with narrowed eyes. After determining that no one was going to win their staring contest, Naruto broke it. "So, what did Kakashi-sensei say?" he asked.

"He basically told our host in a roundabout way that Inari started it first. You'll probably get some talking to, but I don't think it's bad."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're joking."

"No."

"Totally! I said fuck three times and hit Inari in the forehead, and you said I'm getting away with just a talking to? I'm not that much of an idiot, thank you!"

They fell silent again. Sasuke was looking at him like he didn't understand what Naruto was saying.

"What were you expecting the punishment to be, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. He still looked confused. About what was beyond Naruto's comprehension.

"Oh, I don't know. The usual?" A few slaps on the face. Things thrown at him. Humiliated. Beaten up. Locked in a closet. None of that sounded like Kakashi's style, actually. Maybe tied to a tree without lunch. That sounded more like him.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed now. "What's the usual?" he asked, but Naruto just shrugged. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't like to talk about the punishments he got when he was tossed between foster homes or back in the Academy.

"Why does it matter?" Naruto retorted, putting his hands behind his head and turning away. He had learned to take any sort of punishment. He was good at it. Kakashi might be creative, but it would be hard to beat the collection Naruto had already known.

He heard Sasuke grunt in frustration before the bastard shouted, "Don't you know how to give a straight answer, Moron?"

"Like you deserve one!" Naruto called back.

Before he knew it, he was already on his back and Sasuke was right on top of him, his pretty face marred by a scowl. Naruto threw a punch at him, but Sasuke grabbed his hand. The imbalance of the pressure on his chest allowed Naruto to turn them over. Sasuke kneed him in the stomach. Naruto bit his arm. Sasuke slapped him across the face. Naruto pulled at Sasuke's hair.

It was a graceless fight. They were rolling on the ground like wild cubs. One moment Naruto was getting the upper hand, another Sasuke was beating him. But at least they didn't talk. Naruto didn't want to talk. This was much better than talking.

The moon as already close to setting when they finally collapsed beside each other, breathing hard like they just had a spar. They sort of did, but not quite the usual one they had, and Naruto felt much calmer than he had when he got there.

After a moment of them just catching their breath, Sasuke got up and asked, "Going back now?"

The moon was still so beautiful in the sky. For a moment, he thought of lying there a bit longer, but he saw the marks on the tree and said, "Yeah."

/***/

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4: Fighter

**A/N:** Thank you again for the warm responses! I love to hear what you guys think.  
**Gillian** you might hate me later when you realize how slow this build is actually going to be, but I hope I can make it interesting enough that you'll keep reading.

The updates are going to slow down from here, but I'll try my best to be consistent.

**Update 14/06/2015: **This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo. :)

**Chapter 4: Fighter**

When Kakashi opened the front door late that night, he found Sasuke and Naruto standing side by side. Sasuke was looking directly at him. Naruto was looking at the ground, hands in his pockets, his right foot scratching his left leg. They were both covered in dirt, scratches, and bruises that told Kakashi they were going at each other just recently.

"Naruto wants to know what his punishment is going to be," said Sasuke without as much as a hello, sorry, or thank you. Apparently, Sasuke was only polite when he needed to be.

Kakashi looked at Naruto who still wasn't looking at him, and sighed. "You two go wash and go to bed," he said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Naruto."

Naruto looked at him with mouth agape and eyes wide, then nodded and walked obediently passed Kakashi into the house. Sasuke followed a few steps behind with a glare sent to the back of Naruto's head. The furrow of his brow looked like confusion to Kakashi, but it could have been anything else.

He looked at the clock, decided it was too late to deal with those two, shut the door, and went back to his futon.

/***/

Morning couldn't have come fast enough for Sasuke.

He woke up, cleaned up, dressed up, and went for breakfast. Sakura was already there when he arrived. Her smile was a little strained, but she was good at keeping the atmosphere around them light. Tsunami and Tazuna were as gracious as ever. Inari was more reserved, but that was an improvement in Sasuke's opinion.

The atmosphere, however, turned tense when Naruto walked into the room with Kakashi. The blond chanced quick glances at everyone and then proceeded to take his seat in silence. A silence that was just as loaded as the one on their walk back last night. Tsunami looked at Naruto oddly but handed him a bowl of rice. Naruto looked surprised but took it and began eating. Tazuna was just observing Naruto calmly, while Inari avoided looking at Naruto at all cost.

Sasuke turned back to his food and found that he was also observed as well. Kakashi looked at him calmly then smiled before he turned to chat about their plans for the day. Naruto and Sasuke were to train, while Sakura would leave with Tazuna for the bridge.

Tsunami packed them rice balls for lunch like she did the other day. She might not be comfortable with Naruto, but she was kind. Sasuke thanked her as he took the lunch boxes and headed for the door where Naruto was checking his weapon pouch. When Sasuke was about to put on his shoes, Kakashi came by him and whispered, "Try to get him to talk if you can, all right?"

He didn't need to be told who his teacher was referring. He gave a curt nod to acknowledge that this was his mission for the day. He doubted it was going to be easy. Despite Naruto's tendency to run his mouth, he seemed oddly reserved when it came to things closed to his heart. This would be a challenge, but Sasuke had never been known to back out of one.

Sasuke spent his time on their way to the training ground formulating a plan to make the abnormally quiet Dope speak up. But as soon as they arrived at the training ground, Naruto was back to himself again. He threw insults at Sasuke. Sasuke threw them right back. They were racing up the tree more times than either of them could count - Sasuke winning every one of them, of course. Before the morning passed, they were already sweating, shivering in the cool, humid air of Wave Country.

Figuring it was good time to take a rest, Sasuke jumped down from the branch he was on and walked over to his backpack to get his water canteen. Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to concentrate for the next run.

"Hey, Naruto!" he called out, causing the blond boy to lose his footing and land face first on the ground. From his gracelessness, Sasuke seriously wondered how he managed to graduate from the Academy.

"What the hell is your problem? Don't you see I'm trying to focus here?" Naruto retorted as he got up.

"Well," Sasuke opened his mouth but nothing really came out. Kakashi told him to get Naruto to talk, but Sasuke just realized right then that he had no plan of action whatsoever. "How was your chat with Kakashi?" he asked in the end.

Naruto stared at him like he had grown a second head. "That's not your problem now, is it?" he replied.

Again, Naruto was shrugging him off, like Sasuke was going to stop at that. "It's bad, then?" he asked.

"...Well, not really," Naruto said after a pause. He went for his pack to get the water canteen as well. "Kakashi-sensei said he's not going to punish me because I did it in self-defense."

"Well, that's good then."

Then there was silence, signalling that the conversation had abruptly ended. Suddenly Sasuke felt inadequate for his mission. He didn't know how to hold a conversation at all. He didn't know how to coax Naruto into talking like Kakashi wanted him. Despite all the ninjutsu he had learned, he couldn't even complete an easy information gathering mission.

This was troublesome.

"Umm...Naruto," he began, not wanting Naruto to just go back to training before he at least get something out of him. "I agree with Kakashi," he said.

Naruto just looked confused.

"I mean, Inari was a brat."

"Yeah, I hear ya."

"And Tsunami and Tazuna are way too lenient with him."

Naruto snorted. "Aren't all parents and grandparents like that, though?" Naruto said. "Not that I know, of course."

Naruto was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. The self-deprecation was way too obvious for the Naruto he had known in the Academy. He remembered that the blond boy was an orphan. Nobody had any idea who his parents were, which was, come to think of it, rather odd. "I guess mothers are in one way or the other protective of their children like Tsunami, but my mother wouldn't let me get away with saying things Inari said," Sasuke said.

"Ah, good for her," Naruto replied but didn't say anything further. Sasuke wanted to kick himself.

"Who raised you, Naruto?"

The look of surprise on Naruto's face made him realized that the question was way too personal. He wanted to kick himself again for his tactlessness. Sasuke knew how to ask direct questions. His father was a straightforward man. But Naruto wouldn't answer a direct question, so how was he supposed to know what made Naruto reacted the way he did last night?

A part of him wondered if Kakashi assigned this mission to him precisely because he knew Sasuke couldn't do it.

By the time Sasuke was done kicking himself in his own head, Naruto had turned and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You're talkative today, Sasuke. What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on." Too fast. Too suspicious. Bad move. Bad move.

Naruto snorted. "As if I'd believe you, bastard. The great Sasuke Uchiha deigns to talk to the class dead-last is a very common occurrence indeed," he said.

"We're teammates. Can't I talk to my teammate?"

"You don't talk to Sakura-chan."

"She's not here."

"Oh, you don't care about her at all. She adores the hell out of you and you just keep being a dick to her."

"Instead of what? Feign interest in her? She would be in over her head. Do you know what's going to happen to Sakura once the rest of those insane girls realize I talk to her?"

"Don't pretend you care, Uchiha. You don't."

"No, I don't. But at least I'm trying to cause as little trouble for her as possible," Sasuke finished. How the hell did it come to this? Why did every conversation with Naruto deteriorated to a fight, always!? He hated this, hated not being able to get directly to the point and get out.

Naruto just looked at Sasuke like he was completely baffled. "Shit, I didn't know your brain is this screwed up."

"Same could be said of you, Uzumaki," Sasuke retorted. Once he was in a terrible mood, it was harder to stop. "Aren't I doing a favour for you by pushing her away?"

"Yeah? You know what, I don't want to be her second choice, Sasuke. I'd rather take her from you than having you hand her over to me."

Sasuke just looked at him, completely baffled. "You're really crazy," he said. "So you want to compete with me for her like we compete on climbing trees, is that it?"

"It's better if I earn her love than have her pity or yours."

Sasuke just didn't know what to say to that. It made sense, but at the same time it was just insane. "I don't pity you, moron. I don't like Sakura like that so I don't want to encourage her."

"By being a dick."

Sasuke groaned.

"I just don't get it. Everyone loves you, but you don't want them to. You treat that love like trash. I wouldn't do that. Love is too precious for that. But why..."

Naruto's voice just trailed off. He put the water canteen away and just ran off to the tree. Even so, Sasuke heard the rest of it loud and clear.

_Why doesn't anybody love me?_

/***/

Sakura was sneezing quite a lot that morning, but she continued to sit on the bridge in the cool breeze watching Tazuna-san work and listening to the laborers talk. It wasn't good was all she could say; the morale was so low that the only thing that really kept the crew going was Tazuna's unwavering belief that this bridge would be for the greater good.

That thought brought her back to the story of Inari's stepfather. Inari wouldn't even stay to listen last night. He went to his room to cry alone for the man who could have been their greatest hope. Sakura was shocked above all else by Gatou's cruelty but also by the inaction of the people. She might not be able to empathize more deeply because she had both her parents alive and well, but thinking about losing them was hard enough. Inari was too young to witness all this.

Then again, so was Naruto.

Naruto had no one, but somehow he remained optimistic and full of life. He was aimless, sure, but he was more focused now that they actually had missions. Kakashi-sensei even acknowledged that he'd improved the most in the group. It was probably because he wouldn't stop, not for anything. She liked that part of him.

But somehow she felt like there was also something wrong with Naruto. She had never known him to be a bully. He wouldn't hurt another living being just because he could. However, the things he'd said and done to Inari were... cruel. Sure Inari was a brat, but there wasn't a need to go that far with a kid like that. Naruto had actually broken Inari, that was what Sakura realized this morning when Inari refused to talk to any of them. He'd reverted to basically clinging to his mother's side the entire time.

She sighed. Oh, hell. It was going to be tough to complete this mission to begin with. Bad relationships weren't going to help it at all.

"Sakura-chan," Tazuna-san said as he walked by, "you looked rather pensive there. Missing your friends?"

Well, at least Tazuna seemed to be all right with them. "Well, yes," she replied. She wouldn't actually call the three of them friends, not yet anyway, but they were getting there. Being alone guarding Tazuna was boring even when it meant that Kakashi thought she was that much better than the boys at chakra control (and she was, mind you). "Anything I can do for you, Tazuna-san?" she asked.

"No, not really," Tazuna said as he sat down. He was admiring his work even when there was a quarrel over it this morning. The bridge was nothing special in design but Sakura could see that it was a labour of love. It might lack aesthetic appeal but definitely not heart.

"Say, Tazuna-san. When is the bridge going to be completed?" Sakura asked.

Tazuna looked at her with a smirk. "Missing home already?" he said with a chuckle.

"It's not like that," Sakura quickly corrected him. "I mean, I do miss home, but I was thinking of how long will your life be in danger. Because even if Kakashi-sensei managed to defeat Zabuza, Gatou wouldn't give up, right? If it would be for quite sometime, then you might need to think of a long-term protection or find a way to deal with Gatou."

Tazuna looked at her thoughtfully. "You're right, Sakura-chan," he said in a quiet voice. "Even if the bridge is finished, if Gatou's around, it can still be in danger. Gatou hasn't pull out all his cards yet. He still banks on the people giving up on it before he needs to do something really incriminating." He sighed.

"I think killing Kaiza publicly is incriminating enough," Sakura replied with a huff before she realized she might be mentioning something sensitive, but she continued. "I mean, there should have been some retaliation to what he did even then. If a man like that can get away with murder once, he could do it again."

Tazuna was quiet then. He looked forlornly at the bridge, still in pieces in various places, and said, "I know hope alone isn't going to be enough." He paused. "But that's the only legacy I know how to give, Sakura. I am not a fighter like you or your sensei. I will see it through that this bridge gets finished, but after that..." He shrugged, stood up, and got back to work. Sakura didn't get a chance to object that, no, he was a fighter. He might not wield a sword or a kunai, but he'd fought Gatou back successfully for a long time. He drove Gatou back, but he couldn't do it forever, not alone.

She understood then why Kakashi-sensei seemed to value teamwork above all else. Fighting alone was tiring. She didn't realize it before because she was always surrounded by someone who would fight for her or with her: her parents, her teachers, her friends, Naruto, Sasuke-kun.

She hoped those two were all right.

/***/

By noon, Sasuke was exhausted enough that he was basically ready for a nap.

Naruto wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't take a break, and he was making better and better progress, so that Sasuke felt like he really needed to improve to keep the distance between him and the Dope. They were running up the trees and falling back down only to run again the moment their feet touched the ground. His focus was on the training so much so that he forgot about his mission for a while.

When they finally took a break for lunch, though, Sasuke was reminded that half a day had gone by and he had made no progress whatsoever in getting Naruto to talk to him. He was half through his share of the rice balls when he decided: to heck with it. He was going to ask whatever he wanted to know.

So he said, "What actually happened to Iruka-sensei?"

Naruto was in the middle of biting on his rice ball and he choked violently on it. Sasuke was about to reach for his water canteen when Naruto downed his own and was finally able to breathe again.

"What the hell, bastard?" Naruto asked. "Where did that come from anyway?"

On hindsight, it was kind of out of the blue, so Sasuke explained, "I figured your broken right hand and Iruka's death wasn't coincidence. Whoever killed him hurt you too, right?"

Naruto looked at him like he couldn't comprehend what Sasuke was saying and for a moment he looked like he was about the talk, but instead he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I can't tell you," was Naruto's reply before he went back to his rice ball.

That reply confirmed Sasuke's suspicion: the Dope had something to do with the entire thing. "Why?" he asked.

"Just can't," Naruto answered. "Don't ask any more, okay?"

So Sasuke didn't. He wanted to, but his voice died in his throat when he heard the tremor in Naruto's voice. Naruto didn't cry. He just put down his lunch, grabbed the canteen, and made an excuse to get more water. Sasuke thought of following for a time, but he didn't. It felt wrong to do so when Naruto was clearly grieving, had been grieving, in his silent, tearless way.

For a moment, Sasuke was stuck in a predicament. He could follow Naruto and push him to talk, or he could just let him go, essentially giving up on his goal for the day. Sasuke didn't like giving up. He refused to give up time and time again in his life. That was how he lived. But he still remembered the morning after his parents' death. The people around him asked him questions, making him go through the experience over and over. The sympathy and pity in their eyes was a reminder that his life was torn to pieces. All he wanted to do then was hide, but he couldn't. He was an Uchiha, the last of his clan. He couldn't curl up and let the world fell apart around him.

He ate the remainder of his lunch and wondered if that was what Naruto was going through.

/***/

In the evening, they regrouped again at Tazuna's house. Sakura seemed a little pensive as she looked at the torn picture of Inari's family hanging on the wall. Naruto reported his progress and asked for permission to train at night. Kakashi reasoned with him that he needed rest to have productive training, but Naruto insisted that he needed extra time. After a long back and forth, Kakashi relented when he realized that his permission was just a formality. Naruto was going to go anyway. So he allowed the boy to train that night, but he had to come back to rest the next evening. Naruto agreed.

Sasuke was probably the most interesting of the bunch. He waited quietly for Kakashi to finish his conversation with Naruto then very quietly asked if they could have this conversation somewhere else. They took a little walk in which Sasuke informed him of how his attempt to talk to Naruto went.

"I could not make Naruto talk to me," he confessed. From the look on his face, it had cost him something to admit it.

"Ah," Kakashi replied thoughtfully. "Why is that?"

"I don't know how to ask questions about sensitive things," the raven boy said. "Naruto also refuses to answer any direct question."

"What direct question?"

"Like why was he expecting a severe punishment, or what happened to Iruka-sensei."

So Sasuke knew about Naruto's involvement in the fight that killed Iruka. Kakashi was out searching that night with the rest of the jounin. He was also one of the first at the scene of the crime, although he didn't handle Iruka's body or Naruto. He knew for a fact that not a lot of people had actually seen the fight and all of them would keep their mouths shut. The fact that Sasuke already made inference about Naruto's connection to Iruka's death was a testimony to the boy's genius.

Despite that, Sasuke was still a child, a grieving child, just like Naruto.

Kakashi didn't say anything for a while as they walked to a waterfront. The sun was setting and the light turned everything a bright shade of orange. He led Sasuke to the end of the walkway, where he crouched down. Sasuke came to stand beside him but didn't do the same.

"So you're telling me you completely failed at the task I gave you," Kakashi said.

Sasuke didn't answer, he just looked away. His hair hid the the side of his face, preventing Kakashi from getting a good reading of him from a glance.

He continued, "I didn't think you would succeed, actually." That earned him a glare from the boy, but he wasn't fazed. "What have you learned today?"

Sasuke looked surprised. "That people are difficult?"

Kakashi chuckled. "They always are, aren't they?" he said. "Getting to know someone, to truly see the person, can really be a challenge, and for a long time I didn't think it was worth doing." He turned to face the boy with a smile on his face, knowing Sasuke wouldn't see anything more than his eye. "But for a team to work, you need to know what makes your teammates tick. That also goes for your clients or targets. You can't always brute force your way through. You need to know people to work around them or with them. That ability is an asset as precious as any ninjutsu." At the end of his little speech, he got up and turned to the boy. "I gave you this assignment because, despite all your genius, you are practically an imbecile in this area." Sasuke was positively glaring at him now, his fist clenched, but he didn't throw a punch, which was good progress in Kakashi's opinion. "But you are quick when you put your mind to something, so keep trying."

He turned to lead them back to the house, but Sasuke stopped him. "Why Naruto? Why didn't you tell me to talk to Sakura or someone else?"

Kakashi sighed. "You're a genius, Sasuke. You know very well why. Come on. We'll be late for dinner otherwise."

/***/

Dinner was the complete opposite of last night's fiasco, although it was still rather awkward, in Sakura's opinion at least. Inari was as quiet as he was that morning, but Tazuna was positively cheery and Tsunami was warm, even with Naruto.

But she guessed it was all right. After all, Naruto and Inari were just kids. They were bound to do and say stupid things and hurt each other. Adults knew that. They would try to get everything back to normal soon, of course.

Except that it felt wrong for Sakura.

It was the amount of effort Tazuna-san and Tsunami-san put into including Naruto in the conversation. Tazuna insisted on hearing about Naruto's training even though Sasuke-kun had already delivered a pretty impressive and succinct report. Naruto was just as taken aback by this as the rest of them, but he appeased them with the details anyway.

When he mentioned going out for training that night. Tsunami-san seemed perplexed. "But you just came back, Naruto-kun," she said. It has been Naruto-kun for a while now. "Why don't you rest for tonight and start again in the morning? I'm sure your teacher is okay with that."

Naruto made a quick pleading glance to Kakashi-sensei who just chuckled and said nothing else.

"Tsunami's right, you know," Tazuna added. "You're not going to be able to beat Zabuza overnight. Let your sensei do the job. You can relax a bit."

From her place on the table, Sakura could tell that Naruto wasn't taking that comment very well and the ripple were going out fast. Tsunami and Tazuna seemed tense all of a sudden.

"You can say that," Naruto said, "but if I always think that someone is going to save me, when am I going to get up and do it for myself?"

Surprisingly enough, that comment got a response from Inari, who had been avoiding Naruto's sight like a plague all evening. For the first time in twenty-four hours he openly watched Naruto, even though it was from the table's edge.

"Now, Naruto-kun," Tsunami said. The tone of her voice was that of a mother who thought her child was being unreasonable. "You know very well that running up and down the tree all day isn't going to help you do that."

"Of course, it does," Naruto looked at her incredulously. "Do you know something about shinobi training all of a sudden?"

"Naruto," Sasuke chided, but Naruto wasn't listening.

Tsunami and Tazuna seemed upset by his outburst and rightfully so. Sakura was looking to Kakashi to stop another fiasco in the making, but he wasn't even paying attention to them.

"Naruto-kun," Tsunami-san began, "how old are you again?"

Naruto was perplexed by this question. "Thirteen," he said.

"See? No matter what your teacher might say, you are still a child, Naruto-kun." At this, Tsunami-san sent a nasty look at Kakashi. "You won't be able to beat Zabuza's experience or craftiness. Let the adults do our job, all right? It'll be your turn soon enough."

Sakura recognized the tone then. The way Tsunami was talking to Naruto reminded her of her mother when Sakura was younger and she just wanted so badly to go camping with the Yamanaka family. Of course, the Yamanaka family being ninja meant the camping was actually training time for their daughter Ino. Sakura thought it was so cool that Ino got to train outside Konoha. She tried to convince her parents to let her go with them and fiercely defended her decision. Sakura's mother had sat her down and talked her out of doing it, saying that it would not benefit her to walk into danger like that. If only she knew what Sakura had to go through at a time like this.

Naruto's answer was what startled her. "Oh yeah, because adults have done a _fine_ job so far," he said.

The venom in his voice made her skin crawled. Everyone was taken aback, except for Kakashi who eyed Naruto quietly from the his seat. She felt a movement under the table and saw Kakashi's feet kicking Naruto's lightly. Naruto looked at him, but the jounin didn't say anything. He just gave Naruto a nod. Naruto huffed, finished his bowl of rice, and got up.

"Thank you, Tsunami-san. I'm off," he said and walked right out of the house.

Tsunami and Tazuna watched him as he left. When the door clicked, Tsunami sighed almost in annoyance and got back to her food.

That was when Kakashi spoke, "He's not the easiest to please, is he?"

Tsunami gave him a glare. "You didn't help, either, sensei," she said.

"Well, I try not to interfere with my students' affairs. After all, they are genin. They're considered almost adults in my village."

"They're thirteen!" Tsunami almost growled at Kakashi, who remained unaffected. She rolled her eyes in disbelief as Tazuna watched the exchanged with concern. He was about to say something to Tsunami, but she spoke up first, "This is how you treat your children? Leaving them to fend for themselves in danger? Is this why Naruto doesn't believe that adults will protect him?"

Kakashi took a sip of his tea as he seemed lost in contemplation. He finally said, "Well, Naruto's story is not mine to tell. All I can say is that his is a special case."

Sakura could feel Sasuke's focus sharpen beside her, like a predator that suddenly caught a scent of his prey.

"People deal with the terror in their lives differently, Tsunami-san, " Kakashi said. "Placating the terror seems to be the practice in this town, so I completely understand your reaction."

They were all gapping at Kakashi at that point. Tsunami looked positively furious as she stood up, ready to take on the jounin. Sakura's reaction was to stand up and fall into a fighting stance beside her teacher.

Tsunami looked at her in surprise before she became resolute. "See that," she pointed to Sakura as she turned to Kakashi. "Your children rushed right into things like that. They could get themselves killed."

Kakashi sighed. He didn't budge from his seat, but he put the chopstick down. "You see, that's where the difference is."

Tsunami looked confused.

"You see confrontation as dangerous, as something that should be avoided. My kids don't see it as that," Kakashi said. Somehow him calling them 'his kids' made Sakura's heart swell with pride. "Confrontation is just a part of a conflict. It means something precious is at stake. They jump into the confrontation because they want to protect that precious thing. If they can do that, the danger was worth it." He paused.

She suddenly notice Inari who was sitting still on his chair hunching down like he wanted to be as small as possible. His gaze was as firmly on Kakashi as it had been on Naruto before. Sakura could see the gears turning in his head.

Kakashi continued, "Naruto is a child, therefore he does not know how to react appropriately in a confrontation. He takes extreme measures and hurts others because there is something precious he wants to protect: you. He takes this mission seriously. That is why even when he knows he can't beat Zabuza by training days and nights for a week, he would try anyway." Then he picked up his chopsticks and smiled. "I think it's safe to say that this is just a little misunderstanding. Should we get back to our dinner?"

Tsunami definitely wasn't happy with the answer. She huffed and sat back down even though she clearly wanted to say something. Sakura knew there was nothing that could be said. She walked back to her seat and resumed her meal as well. For a moment, she thought of telling them what she thought about Tazuna's safety and what it would mean for this town, but she couldn't. She wanted the tension to abate, not be stirred further.

So their dinner ended in silence. As always, Inari took his leave and went to his room. Tsunami cleaned the dishes. Sasuke cleaned up the table, and Sakura volunteered to dump the garbage outside.

As she turned back from the dumpsite, she was surprised to see Inari there. His hands were behind his back and his eyes cast down as he asked, "Can you teach me how to fight?"

Sakura was surprised to say the least, but soon it was replaced by overwhelming anxiety. Teaching a kid to fight? Well, sure, they were doing that in the Academy for kids of Inari's age, but that was different. She understood the implication of Inari's request; he was going to protect his family himself, or at least try, anyway. Sakura wasn't entirely sure how to do this. "Umm, I can. I'm not the best teacher, though," she replied with a nervous chuckle.

"But, but you didn't have to train anymore, right?" Inari said, suddenly bursting with raw, nervous energy. "That means you're the strongest, right? Please, Sakura-neesan. I... I don't want to cry anymore."

As he told her that, his tears began to stream down his face. He lifted his hand to wipe it off. It was then that she noticed the torn picture of a man in his hand; the missing picture of Kazai.

She guessed she could understand why he needed to fight. She probably couldn't teach him about chakra or shuriken but at least she could teach him to throw a punch. "All right," she said. "Since you asked so nicely and you have a good reason, I'll teach you. Be prepared, Inari. I am not going to go easy on you just because you're a kid."

Inari looked at her in awe then grinned widely and nodded. When the light touched his face, Sakura knew that she definitely made the right decision.

The flood of tears had completely stopped.

/***/

End Chapter 4

**A/N: **Awkward Sasuke is awkward. :D


	5. Chapter 5: Tracks of My Tears

**A/N:** Now you guys know I use song titles for my chapter titles. Because I suck at titles. **Kezzstar** I'm glad you've liked it so far! I do know my writing needs _a lot_ of polishing. I'm sure my pacing, phrasing, grammars are all over the place. **Killua17** Ha, tell me about it! But how would Inari know Sakura isn't the strongest one, right? **crystal .ward .9083** Ahh, I'm glad you love it. I hope you like this one too.

**Update 26/06/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 5: Tracks of My Tears**

The seventh day was when it all came to a head.

Kakashi had been prepared for this. He knew Zabuza would attack at the first opportunity he could, given the slave-driver Gatou was.

Naruto was drained from training, as anyone would rightfully anticipate, so they left him back at Tazuna's house with Inari and Tsunami. Before they left, he saw Inari putting on a makeshift helmet and strapping on his crossbow. He marched up to Sakura, saluted her, and told her he was going on patrol. Sakura saluted right back and nodded with a wide smile on her face.

Well, he knew Sakura knew a lot about a lot of things, but he didn't peg her to be the teaching type. He was aware that Sakura had been teaching Inari basic combat strategies and how to fight, but he wasn't sure how serious either of them were. He could tell from that little exchange, though, that they were dead serious. Fortunately, the seriousness was completely lost on Tsunami, who still thought her child was playing soldier.

Oh no, he wasn't playing, but Kakashi wasn't going to tell her that.

It was a nice day. Kakashi was betting on good visibility to spot his enemy from afar. Sasuke was using a lot of his concentration on sensing chakra and Sakura was basically Tazuna's shadow for the day.

It turned out that he didn't need to spot anything, because Zabuza started the attack with the mist.

Zabuza came with the hunter-nin that they thought had killed him, but sure enough Kakashi's hunch about the boy was right. He worked for Zabuza, not against him. And he was fast. Aside from Kakashi, the only person who could match Haku in speed was Sasuke, so he left the boys to fight each other off as he took on Zabuza himself.

The mist prevented him from getting a good visual of what was going on with his students. Zabuza prevented him from interfering. He just had to trust them to do their job. They were genins after all. They were nearly adults. And there was always Naruto.

Naruto was a terrible ninja by all standards, but he was the wild card in Kakashi's deck, the one he could bet on to throw their enemies off their game. From the past week - since the beginning of their mission, actually - he had seen how Naruto was able to work with Sasuke despite their contention. The two of them should be enough to take down Haku.

What he wasn't betting on was the Kyuubi.

The mist was too thick to see at that point, but the spike of that dark, sinister chakra threw both him and Zabuza off. Kakashi could almost feel Zabuza's rattling. He didn't know what Kakashi knew about Naruto so it would be confusing. That allowed Kakashi to make the move he needed.

Then, just as suddenly as it manifested, the chakra vanished. For a moment Kakashi was worried that Naruto got himself killed, but his chakra was still there. Whatever was the matter, Kakashi couldn't let it get to him, not as he summoned the nin-dogs to pin Zabuza in place so he could finally kill him.

Killing was Kakashi's least favorite part of being a ninja. He doubted it was Zabuza's favorite either. Funny to think that of a monster, but Kakashi just knew. Zabuza could have killed his target in many other ways many times over if he really wanted to - not that Kakashi was going to allow it - but he'd attempted it only once. However, Zabuza made a great show of fighting Kakashi since their first meeting. He knew he wasn't that much better himself. Funny that it was the killing that dulls the blade, not the aversion to it.

He had to, though, because they were shinobi. Zabuza would not back down, so he wouldn't either.

As lighting came to life on the palm of his hand, he told the man in front of him exactly why he needed to die. From the look in Zabuza's eyes, he knew that Kakashi was doing this for himself. He made a habit of it in his last year in ANBU whenever he could afford to. He rationalized his killing so, he reasoned, both the killer and the killed could be at peace.

His hand didn't go through Zabuza's chest, but Haku's. The boy used his great speed to stop Kakashi in the last second with his own body and his own life. For a moment, Zabuza looked just as shocked as he was. But only seconds later, Zabuza grabbed his blade and attempted to cut them both, although his movement was slower than before. They were too drained and injured. The fight would have to end soon, and it would be him killing Zabuza.

Or it would have been, if Gatou hadn't shown his face on the bridge.

It was stupid, clearly showing how Gatou had become too egotistical over time. He was so successful and powerful that he thought he was basically invincible. The gang of misfits he had around him were jokers who couldn't take down Zabuza for their own dear lives, not even as injured and near death as Zabuza was. Kakashi just stood there and watched as Zabuza ripped them to pieces and killed Gatou right there on bridge he'd tried to destroy, for the sake of the boy Zabuza tried his best to not have feelings for.

What an irony.

Another irony was that they might have died from all the thugs let loose by Gatou's death. A side effect of when the head of the gang got killed was the absolute anarchy that came with psychos running rampant. Kakashi had drained all his chakra. He couldn't possibly fight them all off. Naruto might be able to take down some with his shadow clones, but he wouldn't last long. Sasuke, although alive and awake, was too injured to risk engaging in a fight. Sakura had Tazuna to worry about.

It was then that a bunch of people showed up with crossbows and makeshift weapons in their hands. In front of them was Inari and a bunch of kids, all equipped with their weapons. Sakura squealed from where she stood. Apparently, she knew this might happen. The people, along with Kakashi's and Naruto's shadow clones, were enough to scare off the thugs. The ones who didn't run got shoved off the bridge shortly after.

Zabuza died not long after the ruckus was over. His last wish was to see Haku's face again. Kakashi carried him to where the boy lay and watched as the snow fell gently on their bodies and as Zabuza, taking his last breathe, shed a single tear for the only person who had ever loved him.

After that was the clean up, which was just as messy as the fight itself. Kakashi managed to conveniently pass out at that point.

/***/

When Sasuke opened his eyes, it was day again. He had a brace around his neck and so much bandaging he probably looked like a mummy. He couldn't move his head around, so he couldn't see who or what else was in the room, although he thought he heard breathing. He opened his mouth to say something, but his throat was so dry all that came out sounded like a hoarse cough.

He heard creaking and footsteps soon before Naruto appeared at his bedside. He looked rather distressed, but when Sasuke muttered 'water' he looked almost happy.

"Right, water," Naruto muttered to himself before pushing back and bending over to turn the lever that pushed the bed up. Sasuke was still inclining when Naruto stopped, but at least he wouldn't choke. "Here," he said as he handed Sasuke a glass of water, holding the straw right to his mouth.

"I can do that," Sasuke said, then cough again. He didn't have the strength to protest when Naruto put the straw against his lips. He just needed water.

"Easy there. The doctor said you shouldn't use the muscles on your neck too much today. They don't want to patch you up again," Naruto told him as he drank. His calloused fingers were right underneath Sasuke's bottom lip. When Sasuke finally let go of the straw, Naruto pulled back, taking away the heat of his fingers. Sasuke didn't know why he noticed that so keenly. He just did.

"Kakashi?" he asked.

Naruto motioned to somewhere beside his bed. "Still unconscious. The doctor patched him up already, so nothing a good rest couldn't fix," he said.

"Tazuna?"

"He's okay," replied Naruto. "The bridge's construction is still on. Sakura-chan and Inari are taking care of him now. You should have seen Inari. That kid barged into his house with his gang when Gatou's men tried to kidnap his mother and fought tooth and nail for her. You can tell he was scared shitless, but he loves his mom too much to back down," said Naruto with a wide smile. "Sakura trained him really good, you know. She'll make an awesome teacher someday."

"Well."

"Huh?"

"Trained him well, not good, moron. Learn your grammar."

Naruto scuffed. "Gosh, and you have to be a dick first thing after you wake up."

Sasuke let that slide. He had some snide comeback for that, but his throat wasn't cooperating. "What about you?" he asked.

Naruto seemed surprised by that. "Well, as you can see, I am _well_," replied Naruto, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Actually, Naruto seemed more well than well. He didn't appear to have any wound on him, or the scratches from the senbon attacks even. His knuckles were bruised, but that was about it. Naruto looked like he didn't just came out of a major fight. "But you were injured," Sasuke said. Naruto might not have become a pincushion, but he remembered the boy taking some hits.

"Nah, nothing major. The doctor took care of it," Naruto said with a shrug before looking away.

After a week of watching Naruto, Sasuke knew to read that little gesture as a defensive reaction. Naruto didn't want to talk about it, like he didn't want to talk about a lot of things. Iruka and his upbringing, for example.

"Give me your hand," Sasuke said, stretching out his hand.

Naruto looked at him then to his hand like it was a snake, but complied, albeit reluctantly. "I don't know what you're thinking, man. You're weird," he said.

Sasuke just replied with a 'Hn' as he lifted Naruto's hand up to inspect the scratches and bruises. Nothing looked like a mark he saw on his own arm from the senbon. He was sure Naruto got just as many scratches as he did, but there wasn't anything on his skin that said so. It reminded him of Naruto's injury as they came to Wave Country. Naruto cut the back of his own hand to let the poisoned blood out, but he didn't remember that injury when they were fighting Zabuza just days later. Something was not right.

Before he could bring it up, the door burst open and in came Sakura. She looked like she was about to jump him now that he was awake, but then she froze when her eyes settled on Naruto's hand in his. It was Naruto that pulled away first. "Sakura-chan," he said cheerily, jumping down from where he sat on Sasuke's bed. His hands went behind his head. "How was today?"

"Everything's great," Sakura replied once she got her voice back. "Tazuna-san will be going home soon, so I thought I should drop by to let you know in case you wanna come back with us."

Naruto looked confused. "But I thought you were here to see Sasuke," he said.

"Well, that too," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She turned to him. "I'm glad you're awake, Sasuke-kun."

He acknowledged her with a 'Hnn'. He didn't know what else to say or do.

Naruto looked between them like he was missing something before he said, "Hey, Sakura-chan. How about I get Tazuna-san home and come back for you later, so you'll get to talk to Sasuke for a bit."

Sakura looked confused for a second then said, "Okay." Naruto smiled one of his bright smiles and told them good-bye before going out to find Tazuna.

Once the door was closed, the room was silent again. Sakura didn't move from her spot in the middle of the room. She eyed him like he was a serpent ready to bite her. Sasuke sighed. "What's with that attitude?" he asked. Sakura was annoying when she was loud and being cheerful around him, but he didn't think she would be just as annoying when she was silent.

She looked at him, took a deep breath, and asked, "Do you like Naruto, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke stared at her. What kind of question was that?

Apparently, his silence meant a yes for her. "I'm sorry I interrupted the two of you," she said, looking like she was about to cry. "I guess I should have known since that time that you went after Naruto when he was upset. You wouldn't have done that for someone you don't like, would you? You wouldn't have done that for me." Then she really was crying and Sasuke really panicked, but he didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry... for crying...I'm just... I've liked you for so long... I didn't know you like boys... so I'm upset right now."

Suddenly all the puzzle pieces came together in Sasuke's head. "Sakura, listen to me," he started slowly, "I don't like Naruto."

She shook her head. "You don't have to lie to me. I know there are people who think boys who like boys are weird, but I won't think of you any less-"

"No, Sakura, listen. I really don't like Naruto the way you like me," he said. Sakura's crying subsided into a whimper, but she still wasn't looking at him. "I want to revive my clan, so I can't like boys, can I?"

She looked at him with her red-rimmed eyes like she was finally comprehending what he'd just said. "So, you're not, like, going out with Naruto?" she asked.

"No."

Sakura blinked. "But you two were holding hands."

"I was looking at his hands. I can't move my head much right now so I needed to bring his hand to my face," he said. He wasn't used to justifying his action to anybody for a long time, long since his family died.

Sakura looked confused. "But why do you want to look at his hand?"

That was a longer story which he wasn't sure he wanted to divulge yet, but again, Kakashi never said he had to do this mission alone. "When Naruto and I were trapped in the ice prison, he was attacked just as much as I was. Given that the scratches on my arms haven't healed, his shouldn't either."

"But he was barely injured," Sakura muttered. He could see gears moving in her head, before her eyes snapped to meet his. "The mist was so thick I couldn't see what was going on, but there was one point where there was a surge of really sinister chakra-"

"Sinister?"

She nodded. "I take it that you already ...err... passed out ... at that point," she said. "I'm not good at sensing chakra, but this one I swear was so overwhelming that even Tazuna-san could feel it. Then after a while it was gone. I thought it was Zabuza's, but when you mentioned that-"

"You think it might have been Naruto's?"

It sounded very unlikely. It might have been Zabuza's or Haku's. The mist was so thick that it was impossible for other people aside from Naruto and Haku to know. Since Haku was dead and Naruto wouldn't give a straight answer, they were pretty much in the dark.

Unless, of course, Kakashi knew something about it.

/***/

The worst part about having Kakashi as your source was that he was just about as willing as Naruto when it came to answering questions.

"You think I want you to find out Naruto's secret?" Kakashi seemed surprised by this. Sasuke, however, wasn't going to be deterred.

"Why else would you assign me to Naruto? He's clearly hiding something. Even Sakura notices," he replied.

Kakashi looked at him, blinked a few times, and said, "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you think that, but that isn't it."

Sasuke was at a loss.

"However, you're right. Naruto has his secret."

"What is it, then?" Sasuke asked. He was getting more impatient by the minute.

At this, Kakashi chuckled. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. Naruto's secret is only his to tell. If you can complete my mission, he might be willing to tell you, but that is up to him. As it stands now, you're not making progress at all, are you?"

Sasuke scoffed. He didn't want to admit it, but after his failure on their second day in training, Sasuke had resigned to just observing Naruto. It was partly because he needed to focus on the training, but part of it, if Sasuke was to be honest, was because he didn't know what to do without getting Naruto suspicious.

"I think I can read him better now," Sasuke said, trying desperately to defend himself.

Kakashi just shook his head. "In an infiltration mission, a week you waste is another week you can get killed. Not just you but also your team. True that we are allowed to wait, but there are always reasons why that risk must be taken. It is rarely because we don't know what to do."

Sasuke could feel the blood rushing to his face. He looked away, trying to use his conveniently positioned bangs to hide from Kakashi.

It was then that Kakashi motioned him to follow. They went to another waterfront further away from the house so that other people couldn't listen in. Kakashi sat down. Sasuke just stood beside him. This time, though, Kakashi looked at him and told him to sit. After a moment of hesitation, he obeyed.

"I'll teach you a technique that you might find useful," Kakashi said. Sasuke perked up at the word 'teaching' and 'technique' before Kakashi even finished his sentence. "This technique is potentially dangerous to shinobi, but it is a fairly simple one."

Danger never deterred Sasuke. He was an Uchiha. An Uchiha was not afraid of anything. "What is it?" he asked, already impatient to learn.

Kakashi just kept his eyes on the horizon and said, "It's called empathy."

For a moment, Sasuke's head just went blank. Empathy? That was not a jutsu. Part of Sasuke wanted to call Kakashi's bluff and just get away to vent his frustration. The other part was intrigued.

"I can see you think this is a waste of time already, but hear me out. Empathy is a natural although limited ability in humans. It's there so we can relate to each other and cooperate with one another. It is also an ability that children and teenagers usually struggle with, partly because they have too few experiences in life to understand what is in front of them. Empathy allows us to understand our target's thinking and motivation and so make it easier to predict how they would react in certain situations."

The longer Kakashi was talking, the more intrigued Sasuke became. Understanding the targets and predicting their movements were crucial. And if everyone else in his peer group struggled with it, Sasuke wanted to do it.

"The reason I told you to talk to Naruto is because, as you are now aware, you two share similar experiences," Kakashi said. Sasuke's anger flared up as he heard the murder of his loved ones trivialized to just an 'experience', but he stomped it down. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much aside from confirming what you already know or infer. Naruto was the prime witness to Iruka's death. Actually, he was the target. Iruka tried to save him and in the process sacrificed himself for Naruto."

That was in fact a new piece of information for Sasuke. He didn't think the Dope could be the one in danger. He was, after all, an orphan boy with no clan affiliation. It made no difference if he was dead or alive. But this made it worse, because this would mean Naruto _was_ the cause of Iruka's death. Iruka-sensei, who was willing to risk his life for a boy who hadn't been anything. Iruka, who was willing to sacrifice himself for Naruto for the simple fact that he was Naruto.

"Now I want you to imagine yourself in Naruto's place," said Kakashi. "Imagine what it would be like to live day-in ,day-out with the people of Konoha hating you for your bloodline but never saying it to your face. You have only one person to turn to when the world seems to assault you from all sides."

Sasuke couldn't help but remember his mother and her warmth. His mother who would sit by his bed when he was sick and could barely move. His mother who would gently brush the bangs away from his face and tell him how proud she was when his father wouldn't. Sasuke used to adore Itachi to bits, but he was nothing like his mother. Her arms were his sanctuary from the world up to the day he was too grown to hide from it any longer.

"Now imagine losing that person, losing the only good thing you have ever had, and being left utterly alone among the hatred and snarls."

Sasuke didn't need to imagine it. He had been there. He had lost everyone who he'd loved and had ever loved him, including the older brother he once knew. It wasn't hatred that waited for Sasuke in the world, but coldness. No one was there anymore who understood and could console him.

Kakashi went on; "In a way, you are lucky, Sasuke. You have always been one of the top students. You're popular. Everyone showers you with respect and love. You have skills to be proud of. Naruto has none of this. He wouldn't have stayed in the Academy if it wasn't for Iruka. His dream of becoming Hokage was in part induced by Iruka. With that person gone, Naruto isn't only hurting, he is completely lost and alone."

"You're wrong," was the only thing Sasuke could say at the end of Kakashi's long exposition. His voice was shaking. "You don't know me."

Kakashi was silent for a while before he said, "No, I don't. That's the downside to this practice. I can only presume. The only way to confirm the truth is to interact with the person. I can see now that it is beginning to work for you."

Sasuke looked at him, but his vision was blurry. He blinked and felt wet trails forming on his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away because an Uchiha didn't cry.

"It's okay, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "Tears of self-pity are for the weak, but the tears for the tragedies of others... only the strong knows how to shed them."

And so, Sasuke let his tears fall.

/***/

End of Chapter 5

**A/N:** I have a very distinct feeling that I use _irony_ wrongly in this chapter. This is the last chapter on Wave Country. Next one will be the beginning of Chuunin Exam. Things are going to get more intense now especially between Naruto and Sasuke. Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6: A Fate Sealed in Red

**A/N:** Finally, the Chuunin Exam! This is where the story begins to really diverge from the canon (still not a complete split at this point, though). I left out the first round of the Chuunin Exam because it is the same as the canon so there isn't a point of retelling it here. Again, thank you so much for following this story. I hope I've made this worth your time. Please leaves comments in the review. I'll be happy to answer your questions if you have any.

**ZyiareHellsing** Thanks, I'm glad you think it's great. I thought it's a bit slow, but at the same time I really wanted to build it up from when Iruka died. Let me know if that works or not. **Killua17** I don't like Sakura very much either mainly because I really don't understand her obsession with Sasuke. I want to get her off Sasuke's back as soon as I can. I'm not going to bash her, though.

Warning for violent fights and some coarse languages. I don't know how brutal this will be for you guys, but, hey, if you cringe then I've done my job.

**Update 01/07/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 6: A Fate Sealed in Red**

His genin were definitely full of surprises.

Not only were they able to complete their first technically B-rank mission safely, skipping C-rank's entirely, but they managed to come out stronger as a team.

Sakura showed a lot of potential in chakra control and genjutsu. He hadn't intended to introduce the subject to them just yet, but he and Sakura got into a conversation about genjutsu once during the training week because Sakura wanted to discuss the concept of subterfuge with Inari. She asked Kakashi about what he used on her during the genin test and one thing led to another. Kakashi ended up explaining the basics of genjutsu to her and she devoured his words like they were the finest meal.

He agreed to give the team a brief lesson during the week they were recovering from the fight. Sakura was able to break the genjutsu first, followed very closely by Sasuke. Naruto, as predicted, was the dead-last of the team.

And typical of Naruto, he was frustrated, and decided to train harder on genjutsu. Again, Sakura exhibited qualities of a good teacher. She patiently explained to him the basics, which Naruto gave his own interpretation to since he couldn't quite grasp it, and she was there to tell him what he was doing wrong.

Sasuke surprised them by offering to train with Naruto. He didn't have to since he was already quite good at it, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind. So he and Sakura took turns trying genjutsu on Naruto while Naruto tried to break from it. In effect, they improved together.

It was not like everything was good and dandy, of course. Sasuke and Naruto still competed a lot. One time it happened on a simple mission that got so out of hand that Sakura lost her temper and screamed a loud, powerful scream at them. Both Sasuke and Naruto were in a slight state of shock for the rest of the day.

Another surprise was that Sasuke, instead of going off on his own after missions, started to train with Naruto and Sakura at least twice a week. Kakashi was pretty sure this had something to do with the 'mission' he had given Sasuke. Sasuke didn't report back on his status after their little chat at the waterfront. Kakashi didn't ask him, because he could see for himself that Sasuke was improving. Sure enough, Sasuke was still aloof and viewed Naruto and Sakura as inferior to himself, but he started to take care of them and watch over them during missions.

That, however, did not sit well with Naruto.

Naruto's desire to be strong seemed to outdo every possible logic in his head. The more times Sasuke saved him during missions, the more agitated Naruto became. Kakashi was notified more than once that his student was found on the training grounds in the dead of the night past the normal time that genin should be up running about by themselves. They talked about it, or more like Kakashi talked and Naruto just watched the ground around Kakashi's feet with his lips pressed together. Naruto offered no excuse and listened to no advice. With the risk of sounding like Nara Shikaku, this was getting really troublesome.

Kakashi had thought that, given their similar experience in lost and loneliness, Sasuke and Naruto could balance each other out with Sakura as their barometer for normalcy. That was why he tried to encourage Sasuke to connect with Naruto. Who would have thought that Naruto, desperate for friends and attention as he was, would resist.

Their teamwork fell apart a bit when Sakura and Sasuke had a little row during training when she thought he went too far and he thought she wasn't taking the training seriously enough. Mean things were said and Sakura was upset. Those mean things also led to Naruto jumping into Sakura's defence and ended in him and Sasuke brawling on the ground, pulling hair and exchanging punches, which also led to another scream from Sakura. They all went home angry and miserable that day while Kakashi watched them in secret. They didn't try to patch things up afterward although everything seemed somewhat normal the next day.

Then the Chuunin exam happened.

Kakashi nominated his team because he thought they were ready, at least their combined skills should be enough to get them through the second round all right. They also needed a change of pace to get their dynamic back together. Nothing was better than a shared near-death experience.

But then... Orochimaru happened.

/***/

Scouting for potential candidates to the hidden Sound was something he liked doing personally. It was a great thrill to watch so many potential talents rising only to be squashed into nothingness a moment later. When the level of talent he was talking about were entry-level genin, it wasn't much of a surprise.

The tricky ones to assess were the prodigies. It was always a bit of a gamble with them. Child prodigies didn't always turned out to be geniuses. They banked too much on their innate ability that when the well dried up they became lost. Hard-workers were good, but there were always limits to them when it came to techniques.

That was why he was always after the second child prodigy in the family. These people were talented in their own rights but also spent their lives working to exceed their older siblings. He had his mind on Uchiha Sasuke when he came in. The boy was, after all, the second child prodigy and the heir of the Sharingan, but after watching the team get ambushed by a team from the hidden Rain, he couldn't help but notice another member of the group, the boy with spiky blond hair. Frankly, the boy was not to his taste, but it was not the look or even the skill that made him notice.

It was his killing intent.

The blond boy was the first to get ambushed when he was forced away from his teammates to take a leak. It was a mistake of the pink-haired girl since she couldn't see the danger of doing so right away. Leaf children. They were so, so naïve.

The second the blond finished his business, a Rain ninja jumped him with ropes with clear intention of capturing him. However, the first moment the rope came down around him, he turned and kicked. The attack he used looked almost random, but then he noticed the stone around the blond boy's feet. One of them was picked up by the chakra on the sole of his shoes and was kicked right to the attacker's groin, sending him reeling. Two other Rain genin quickly came down from the trees to aid their teammate, but the ruckus also called in the Leaf team. Sasuke, as he would have anticipated, went directly for one of the Rain ninja while the blond boy ran to his first attacker, gave him a hard kick in the face that was sure to send him into dream land before grabbing his enemy's kunai and jumping to another Rain ninja retreating up the trees. The Rain nin hit him down hard. The fight would have ended there if he didn't suddenly create two clones, shadow clones no less, that threw him from mid-air right into his bewildered enemy.

He heard a sick crack of ribs. The Rain ninja flew back into a tree. Two kunai lodged just underneath his ribcage. He couldn't help a smile. That position was very strategic. An injury like that would prevent the lung from inflating fully, making it hard to breath and to recover. The Rain ninja just slid down the tree like a broken rag doll, conscious but unable to move.

"Sakura-chan, let's look for the scroll," the blond boy called out. He went to the genin he just fought with and searched him. Sasuke and the pink-hair girl did the same with two other Rain ninjas. Sasuke found the scroll soon enough, but the girl's scream caught their attention first. The ninja that was out cold during most of the fight had regained consciousness and quickly captured the girl to use for bargaining.

"Hand us the scrolls, losers," the Rain genin barked, his shuriken awkwardly positioned at the girl's throat.

Both boys froze. Sasuke sent a look the blond's way, but he just shouted at the Rain ninja, "Let her go, you bastard!"

"Don't come any closer or I'll kill her," said the Rain ninja. "Put both scrolls on the ground and back off. Once I reach the scrolls, I'll let your teammate go."

Sasuke was doing just that. He pulled out his team's scroll and was about to place both scrolls on the ground when the blond turned to him and shouted, "Don't you dare do that, bastard!"

"What am I suppose to do!? If anything happens to Sakura, we're done for anyway," Sasuke yelled right back.

"As if that sick fucker was going to keep his goddamn word!" the blond shouted again. He was right, but quite frankly the noise was getting a little grating.

The Rain ninja watched their exchange for a while until he deemed enough time had passed. "Enough, you two! Hand me the scrolls or your friend dies," he shouted.

Without warning, a hand came up to grab the hand that was holding the shuriken and bent it up, causing it come right at the Rain ninja's ear instead. Another set of hands pulled away the one around the pink-haired girl, allowing her to crouch down and escape.

That was when the blond turned to the Rain ninja with a smirk on his face. "You forgot my shadow clones, buddy," he said as he walked towards the captured shinobi. When he was within an arm's length, he punched the guy in the stomach hard enough to make him bend over and puke his guts out. "That's for hurting Sakura-chan." Then he gave the Rain ninja another hard kick in the head. "That's for your team attacking mine." But at that point, the Rain ninja was already knocked out, probably for hours this time.

"Right, let's go then," said Sasuke, packing away the scrolls. The blond stopped them and talked them into stealing their enemies' weapons. His teammates reluctantly agreed. They made a quick search on their enemies' bodies before taking off again into the forest.

He had to say he was impressed. He rarely saw a boy with that kind of decisiveness at this tender age, let alone someone with such ferocity and darkness. He might have just found someone more interesting than even the second-child prodigy Uchiha Sasuke.

He asked his companion who the boy was. The man pulled out a card and read, "Uzumaki Naruto. He's a genin under Hatake Kakashi. Completed various D-rank mission, one C-rank, and managed to score one B-rank in Wave Country against Zabuza Momochi." Then his companion put the card away. "He's an orphan, notorious in Konoha for being a problem child causing ruckus in the village."

"Is that so?" he said. So that was the rumoured Nine-tail child, the vessel to an unprecedented power. This was getting really difficult for him to decide.

"Frankly, I don't think he is a good candidate," said the man. "Naruto ranked last in the Academy."

"Ah, but you know very well that being book-smart is not everything in a ninja."

"I tend to think that it is part of being a good ninja," the man replied.

"True," he muttered. "Honestly, if I could have both of them, I would take both."

"Taking two candidates from the same team is too risky. It would be harder to assimilate them into Sound completely."

He knew this to be true, of course, but a man could dream, couldn't he? "I'll test them both," he said to his companion, "and I'll decide later. In the mean time, let's keep an eye on their team."

His companion respectfully inclined his head as he said, "Very well then, Orochimaru-sama."

/***/

Sakura really didn't know what to feel. Things happened too fast for her to process. At first, it seemed like they were having a slow start. There was no other team in sight and no sure way to find them. They just decided to get to the tower as fast as they could. None of them expected to be ambushed so quickly or to obtain the scroll so fast. She also almost got killed only mere hours into the test.

But what rattled her the most was Naruto. He didn't flinch when he knifed the Rain ninja midair, nor did he hold back when he hit the one that captured her. She could tell that he was angry, but he was just so...

...cold.

They didn't talk much from that point on. With both scrolls in their hands, all they needed to do was get to the tower, but their stamina wasn't enough to do it in one go. Naruto probably could. Sasuke-kun, too. But she was beginning to fall behind and the traps and animals in the forest were too dangerous for her to barge through with dwindling concentration. They decided to rest. Sakura made a mental note to run more often.

Sasuke found them a tree with a large root system for protection in the night to come. They set up traps and ate a meal of rations they had thought of bringing with them. Tomorrow they would need to hunt, another task that would slow them down.

As they were about to settle down for the night, drained from the run, it all happened again.

They registered the bomb and took cover quickly but separately. It was a bad move given how easily the other team could take each of them down. The smoke was everywhere, so she decided to remain in hiding, at least until everything settled down. Her hand went to the pouch containing one of their scrolls and held it tightly. After a brief breathing exercise, she began to calm down. She couldn't panic now. She had a mission to complete and teammates to find.

After a moment of silence, Sakura began moving. She knew they couldn't be far so she crawled from one bush to the next, trying to avoid being seen by the enemies. It was hard to guess what they were trying to do. Stealth and information were key in this case.

She bumped into Sasuke-kun first. He demanded to hear the pass code before she got any closer than two arms' length. Fortunately, her memory was good enough for a pass code as long as Sasuke had demanded.

"Good," he replied as she crawled in beside him. "Scroll?"

She nodded. "Yours?"

He nodded.

She breathed easier knowing that they still had both of them. They just needed to get Naruto and sneaked out of this trap quickly.

"I think he got blown away somewhere in that direction," Sasuke motioned. "He was too slow to dodge."

Would not be the first time, honestly.

"Let's go, then," she said. He began to get up, but she pulled him down. "No, Sasuke-kun. Let's just crawl there. We don't know where our enemies are."

He looked at her then to the ground like he was mulling over something. Sakura briefly panicked that she might have crossed the line with him somewhere. "Okay," he said finally, "let's-"

That was all he managed to say before another bomb went off. It was too close to the bush they were they were hiding that they had no other option but to come out into the open. Sakura quickly grabbed her kunai, ready for an attack, but the only person she saw was Naruto.

"What was that?" the loud-mouth blond yelled. Sakura couldn't be more relieved, but she was not going to let her guard down just yet. "Naruto, over here," She shouted only moments before Sasuke-kun stepped between her and Naruto.

"Pass code," he demanded. Naruto sighed and said the code, the entirety of it. On hindsight, she should have known that something was off. Sasuke, genius that he was, attacked the fake Naruto right away.

The man who replaced Naruto was frightening enough that his mere presence made Sakura scream.

/***/

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

That was all there was in Sasuke's head when they successfully got away from their enemy. There was just one of them, but that one was bad enough to make him want to puke. He was still around; Sasuke could feel him. The air in the forest seemed even thicker than it already was with that presence. His body threatened to shake under the pressure, but he didn't let it. He had Sakura to take care of, and he didn't want to die. He was sure if they got caught again they would certainly die.

The next thought that came to him was to go get Naruto and get out of this place. At least with three of them, they might be able to hold back their enemy if only for long enough to reach the tower.

Or they could offer the scroll their enemy wanted. After all, they already had two and this was just the first day. They could try to find another team to beat afterward. But their enemy wasn't all about getting the scroll, was he? Someone of that skill could just kill them and take the scrolls if he wanted. He was playing with them like a cat playing with trapped mice.

He hated this. He hated this. He hated this.

"Sasuke-kun, snake!"

Sakura's voice made him jump. A giant snake just dropped right in front of them and started coming after him with a vengeance. Fuck it. They couldn't run, not with these kinds of creatures around. But what were they going to do? There was no way they could kill the man. They were just genin.

_Foolish little brother,_ came the voice inside his head, deep and rumbling and filled with disdain. _You're too weak._

His eyes went to Sakura. She tried to attack the snake to get it away from him. Finally it was annoyed enough to go after her. She was dodging it very well, until she lost her footing on a branch and slipped.

He called after Sakura as he ran as fast as he could towards her. The snake was right there, ready to attack either of them. He couldn't bring himself to care, because he would not see it happened again. Not again.

Suddenly, a blur of white and orange came down from the branches above them and hit the snake right on the nose. Unsure of what it might be, Sasuke grabbed Sakura and landed as far away as he could managed before he looked back.

It was Naruto.

The snake rebounded quickly. It went right after the blond boy with a speed that he knew Naruto couldn't keep up with. Naruto basically rained shuriken on the creature until blood was raining down with them. As soon as the creature fell, a figure rose from its body and there stood the man once again. Sasuke could feel himself tremble. He couldn't stop it this time.

"So, you managed to defeat the giant snake, Naruto-kun," he said.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at him. "So it was you, asshole," Naruto said. Sasuke could hear his anger dripping with each syllable. "Let me get back to you on that."

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

"Naruto, get out of there!" he shouted. "We can't fight him. Let it go!"

Naruto didn't take his eyes off the enemy as he said, "Do _you_ seriously think he's going to let us go, moron? Did you get so scared your crap went to your brain or something?"

Sasuke's hand clenched into a fist. Of course he knew that, but what were their options anyway? "He's in another league, idiot. He'll kill us!"

"He'll kill us anyway," Naruto replied. He took an attacking stance as the man chuckled.

"You are correct, Naruto-kun" he said. That disgusting tongue wetted his lips. "You are actually smarter than you look."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, asshole!" Naruto shouted as he charged full force at his enemy. The thunderous cracks and rumbles filled the forest as a massive creature suddenly appeared underneath their enemy, a gargantuan snake with its jaw wide open and fangs dripping venom. Sasuke almost lost his footing as he pulled Sakura into cover.

They watched in horror as Naruto desperately fended off the snake, but just a whip of its tail and a tilt of its head sent the boy's small form right into a tree. Sasuke could hear a cracking sound coming from where his teammate hit. He wished that it was just the sound of the tree bark breaking, but he knew it was not. Sasuke could almost feel the pain in his own body.

He felt small. He felt hopeless. He felt like it was that night when he ran home only to find a whole district full of corpses. There was nothing he could do then. There was nothing he could do now.

_Please stop this. I beg you. Make this nightmare stop. I can't take it anymore. Stop. Stop. Stop. STOP._

"EAT SHIT!"

With Naruto's scream came a surge of chakra that was enough to snap Sasuke out of his own head. The snake took a hit powerful enough to shut its large mouth with a sick sound of bones hitting bones.

"That's it," muttered Sakura. Her voice was shaking. "That's the chakra."

They watched as Naruto was hit, his body flying towards a tree, only to jump right back into the fight at a speed Sasuke had never seen him achieve before. There wasn't an opening in the warring between Naruto and the snake. It was like a battle between two monsters.

Another side hit from the tail sent Naruto flying before the snake began moving its gargantuan body. It was Sakura who dragged him back before he could register that the snake was coming for them.

Sasuke heard the voice before he actually saw what happened. "Get away from them, you sick jerk!" Naruto shouted as he slammed right into the snake's head, causing it to stop in its track on a tree branch. A moment passed where nobody moved. Sasuke was too shocked to even move his eyes from Naruto's back.

Since when had he been staring at Naruto's back?

Suddenly, Naruto was lifted by the snake's tongue up to the man on top of its head. Naruto was struggling trying to get away, but not before the man performed a seal, zipped open Naruto's jacket, and hit him right in the stomach. Naruto's body went rigid. That was when the man opened his mouth and bite hard between the boy's neck and shoulder.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Naruto's scream cut right through all the fears and nightmares that lurked inside Sasuke like a razor. Suddenly, there was nothing else that mattered, not his fear, not that they were going to die, not his vengeance. It was like on the bridge of Wave Country all over again, except this time Sasuke knew that he was too late, too small, too powerless. But it didn't matter. He charged forward, feeling the chakra welling in his eyes, weapons in his hands, and the fire pumping in his veins like mad. He attacked, causing the man to drop Naruto gracelessly and letting his body slide down to the forest floor. He could hear Sakura confirming that she got him from somewhere below. Sasuke went for the kill.

Another inhuman scream left Naruto's mouth, rattling the entire forest. The bastard just smirked from the top of his snake. Sasuke felt his boiling blood freeze.

The Uchiha threw his windmill shuriken in response. His enemy dodged effortlessly, but he couldn't dodge the Dragon Fire Sasuke sent his way. He didn't stop there. As if a little fire jutsu would do anything to a man like that. While the man was possibly blinded from the fire, Sasuke lit up the trees in the entire area,before making a retreat.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called him from the ground beside Naruto's wretched form. They picked him up and quickly escaped the area before the fire went out.

/***/

End Chapter 6

**A/N:** I don't usually listen to something this heavy metal but the lyrics '_Anguish took hold on your neck_' is just spot on. I just have to use this song for the title.


	7. Chapter 7: A Loss of Innocence

**A/N:** Thank you for all you supports in the form of reviews, follows, and favs! You guys help keep the creative juice flowing.

**Chubby-King-Chocobo** Thank you. That is so kind of you. I'm glad you think the pacing is good. That was the thing that really worries me about the first five chapters. I'm glad it's not too slow. **Guest** Thank you, my dear anonymous reviewer! By interesting writing style I hope it's not too weird or something. I love to know what you think about it. **Kamui5** Now you'll know. Hope you like this chapter too. :) **ZyiareHellsing** You don't know how glad I am that I've caught you off guard, my friend.

Warning for coarse languages, violent fight scenes (again), and a bit of gore. Enjoy.

**Update 01/07/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 7: A Loss of Innocence**

It was close to dawn when they finally stopped, legs shaking and arms trembling. Sasuke felt like he could fall over at any moment. He had exhausted his chakra reserves. His body was also close to its limit. Sakura wasn't that much better off. They found another shelter under a large tree and dragged Naruto's limp body inside. The first half-hour they had to carry him was painful. Naruto would scream and vomit and sometimes scratch them. There was no recognition in his eyes, just agony. That was why Sasuke decided to knock him out. The journey afterward was easier, but only marginally so.

Being unconscious didn't mean Naruto didn't make noises. He whimpered and moaned from time to time. He also developed a fever high enough for them to be worried. After setting up the traps, Sakura started to strip the blond so she could wipe him down with a wet towel and see to his injuries. That was when they saw that there weren't any major ones, not even a bruise in fact, like he hadn't been hit around by a giant snake for a good ten minutes.

"This can't be," she muttered and put the clothes back on the blond. Sasuke just sat there and watched. It explained a lot of things. Whatever the source of that abnormal chakra, it also healed Naruto's injuries so the blond was in no immediate danger. What they had to worry about was the fever and that seal on Naruto's neck. It was more pressing than ever for them to get to the tower quickly so Naruto could get help.

Sakura's voice called him out of his own head. She wanted to see to his injury, so he let her. He asked after hers but she just shook her head. "I'm fine thanks to you and Naruto," she said with a smile that looked somewhat... sad. "I'll go get some water at the stream we just passed by. I won't be long."

"Be careful," was all he could say. She smiled and disappeared from his line of sight. As soon as he thought she was out of earshot, Sasuke cursed quietly to himself. He was so useless. He couldn't fight off that weird Grass ninja before he got to Naruto. When he finally did, he ended up so exhausted that he could barely stand, let alone move. He couldn't take care of Sakura and Naruto like this. He wished he was stronger. How was he going to achieve his goal if he couldn't even save the people around him?

He was so pathetic.

A whimper from Naruto took him out of his own thoughts. Naruto shook his head slowly from one side to the other and scowled. Sasuke wet the towel with more water and dabbed it on his forehead in hope that the cool water would help. The fever wasn't coming down and it was clear that Naruto was in a lot of pain.

Sasuke remembered a time when he caught a nasty flu as a small child and had to spend days in agony in his bed. His body ached. The world lost its balance, and he could barely breathe. His mother was by his bedside almost all the time. Her elegant fingers combed through his hair as she told him that he would be all right. Sasuke since knew that there was no point for such action aside from the comfort of the touch. The pain wasn't alleviated that way, no matter what his younger self thought.

Despite that, he ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, muttering nonsense under his breath that his mother used to tell him on occasions like this. He didn't know why he was doing this aside from the fact that it was comforting... for him. It was better than sitting still and feeling helpless, although he knew none of what he was doing actually made any difference.

/***/

When Sakura came back, Sasuke-kun was already asleep propped against one of the roots. His hand was in Naruto's hair like he was about to comb the unruly strands back. She knew he didn't mean to fall asleep like that. Sasuke probably wanted to keep watch even in his exhausted state. In a way, it was better that he passed out so Sakura didn't have to argue with him.

Another part of her was struck with how tender the scene looked. It reminded her somewhat of the time she found Sasuke holding Naruto's hand in the hospital in Wave Country. He denied any feeling towards Naruto and she believed him, but Sakura had always felt that he favored Naruto over her. She couldn't help but think that it was because Naruto was stronger than her and more hardworking than her. She had tried to catch up but couldn't quite get there, not yet anyway.

Looking at them like this, she wondered if Sasuke favoring Naruto really had anything to do with the fact that Naruto was the stronger one.

She took a place close to the entrance, pulled her knees to her chin, and kept watch. Naruto moved from time to time, whimpering and sometimes tossing about. She was glad that Sasuke-kun slept like the dead. He didn't stir once during all those episodes. She tended to Naruto and went back to keeping watch, fending off all wildlife in the vicinity. She didn't trust any of them and there were too many traps around anyway.

By about nine in the morning, she was exhausted. Luckily she was too wired up to really feel it, because it was then that another team decided to show up at their doorstep. Sound ninja, her tired mind supplied. One of them had long spiky hair pointing backward like a hedgehog. The other had short hair pointing upwards like a chicken head. The third member was a girl with long flowing hair, too long to be practical. Adrenaline was pumping into her bloodstream as Sakura reached for her kunai.

"You're not very good, are you?" the Hedgehog guy moved closer to her and knelt to the ground. "A booby trap is pointless unless it goes unnoticed, you know?"

"Pathetic, that's what it is," the Chicken-head added from behind, "Let's kill her and kill this Sasuke-guy."

They charged, but not before Sakura managed to cut the rope at her side.

The thing about booby traps, Sakura learned from her discussion with Kakashi-sensei and Inari, was that it could serve a lot of purposes: trapping the enemy, delaying them, or even diverting their attacks.

Her trap went off right above their head and the Sound ninja had to fall back. The noise also woke Sasuke up, although it was clear that he was still too exhausted to fight yet.

"Sounds. They're coming after you," she told him as she tossed the scroll towards him. "Grab Naruto and get moving."

"Sakura-" Sasuke said, but the sound of another trap going off stopped him.

"I'll hold them back. Please go now. We'll meet at the tower," she told him before moving to the opening just in time to see the large log she used for one of the traps being split to pieces right in front of her. The Hedgehog was coming down at her full speed.

Before she could react, there was a whirlwind of green. The Sound ninja were pushed back and before her was Konoha's very own Green Beast, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Lee-san. Why are you here?" she asked in surprise.

His eyes were on the enemies as he said, "I will always appear when you are in trouble. I've told you, haven't I, that I will protect you until I die."

That was... rather touching.

She thanked him and stole a quick glance over her shoulder. Sasuke-kun was still inside their hiding place. She tried to urge him to get moving, but he just looked at her with that stubborn look on his face and his mouth shut tight. His eyes went to Lee, clearly reliving their disastrous match where he was the one beaten up.

Gods, men! This was not the time, seriously!

She turned to face the front. This was not the time for her to get irritated either. She had to be worried about beating the enemies before they got to Sasuke, no matter where he ended up.

"Oh well, Zaku, you take care of Sasuke-kun. I'll take down this guy," said the Hedgehog as he moved into position. Sakura's eyes went to the two other members of the team then and back to him. She wasn't sure if he was bluffing, but she was confident in Lee's ability. She would keep her eyes on the other two.

Lee was strong, so strong in fact that Sakura thought for a moment that he was going to win. He just had to. But Lee was a taijutsu genius. He was unable to do anything else. The techniques the Sound ninja used were just not something taijutsu could counter. When the Chicken-head joined in, Sakura knew almost immediately that Lee wasn't going to win. She had to do something, and fast.

She decided to attack, charging to the Chicken-head as he was about to give Lee another blow. He reflected her kunai as expected, but she quickly substitute herself with a log and attacked him from above. He reflected again. She used substitution again before landing behind him and kicking him hard in the back.

She felt something in her feet snap with that kick. Her muscles were too tired out to take the force anymore, but she didn't stop. She jumped right at him, pushing him to the ground as she fought literally with her teeth and nails like she had seen Naruto and Sasuke do so many times.

Pain shot from her scalp down to her neck as her hair was pulled back by the long-haired kunoichi. Sakura tried to reach back for her hand, but couldn't get to it. She was dragged by the hair off the Chicken-head. "Can't even fight like a ninja. What a disaster," the girl said with a rough tug on Sakura's hair. "What's this? How much treatment did you put into this thing? Trying to be sexy or something? No wonder you're so pathetic as a kunoichi, you female swine!"

That was about as much as Sakura allowed the girl to say. She pulled out a kunai and cut her hair, freeing herself from the grip before twisting back and using the confusion to stab the girl in the leg.

"Keeping hair that long, wagging your tail much, you female canine?" Sakura gloated as she stepped back. It only took a second for the girl to charge at her. They were struggling together on the ground. She swung her arm to the girl's face, trying to knock her off, but was bitten hard enough to draw blood. The momentum was enough to roll them over so that Sakura was on top and pounding the girl's stomach as she kept on biting. She wasn't satisfied yet when a hand grabbed her on the back of her neck, pulled her off, and slammed her to the ground.

"Geez, women and their hair," the Chicken-head said from on top of her. He was basically sitting on her with his full weight, pinning her down. "Now, Uchiha Sasuke, how long are you going to hide behind your little whore?"

As she feared, Sasuke was already standing in the clearing. She could see the strain on his body. He couldn't fight like this, so she did the only thing she could think of. "Run, Sasuke-kun!" she shouted.

He didn't. "You want to fight me, don't you?" he said to the Chicken-head. "Let her go!"

"Well, no," the Chicken head said as he stood up, one foot still pressed on her back as he taunted Sasuke-kun. "Come get your woman yourself, Uchiha."

She heard a 'Tch' and saw him charging in. Sakura closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. What she didn't foresee was the sound of three synchronous hits. The Chicken-head was thrown off her, landing somewhere behind her with a loud thud.

"For the record," came the booming voice of Yamanaka Ino; "This forehead girl is NOT Sasuke-kun's woman!"

/***/

He was alone in the pitch-black darkness. Unlike the closet his second foster family liked to throw him in, this place was damp. His feet were dragging in murky water. It was warm and slightly unpleasant. He heard voices from far away, sometimes a shout. He couldn't quite make out what they said. Some of them sounded like names, like 'Sakura' and 'Sasuke'. He tried to call back but no one replied. No one called for him.

"That's because they have left you behind," came a voice from below. He looked down and there was his reflection, only it didn't look quite like his reflection. The eyes were red instead of blue and the smirk on its face looked unfamiliar. "You're no good to anybody."

He felt his jaw shaking. "Liar. They need me. Sasuke couldn't get a better sparring partner than me. And who's going to take care of Sakura-chan?" he replied with all the gusto he got.

The reflection just smirked. "Not if they are dead," it said.

He looked up from the murky water like it had just hit him. No, they couldn't be dead. Sasuke might be a jerk, but he wouldn't let Sakura get hurt. And he was good. He-

He turned around and there right behind him, leaking out the dark water at his feet, was the almost unrecognizable body of Umino Iruka.

/***/

The surge of chakra stopped everybody's movement. It stopped the battle between the Sound ninja and team Asuma right in its tracks. Sasuke's heart dropped to his stomach as he felt the sense of imminent doom. It didn't feel like the last time, wasn't the same chakra. This one felt...dirty, like something rotten and contaminated.

He turned, as all of them turned, to the source of the chakra. There in front of the entrance stood Naruto. Half his body was littered with hideous black marks. It went down his left arm and up to one side of his face. His eyes were red instead of blue and stared at them like he could see right through them.

Then he turned to Sakura, observing her from where he stood before turning back to them. "Which one of you hurt Sakura-chan?" he growled. They couldn't reply. It seemed like none of them knew how to move.

Then suddenly Naruto disappeared. An instant later he was in front of the Sound nin girl. His face just a few inches from hers. "You smell like her blood," he told her quietly before grabbing the back of her head and slamming her face-first into a tree. Sasuke heard Ino gasp loudly behind him. "That'll teach you not to bite on something you shouldn't, bitch."

Zaku went at him right after that, his sound jutsu in full blast. Sasuke and the rest had to get away before they got their eardrums burst. He looked for Sakura and saw Lee holding her like a bride. Her eyes fixed on Naruto, wide and terrified.

He turned back to observe the fight, but the air blast had stirred up so much dirt and leaves that he couldn't see clearly. That Zaku-guy went overbroad with his technique and he completely lost track of Naruto.

"Above you!" came a shout from Dosu. Zaku aimed and blasted more air only for Naruto to disappear into a cloud of smoke before he hit him.

"What the-" was the only thing Zaku could say before Dosu flew into him. He fell under the weight of his teammate. He quickly pushed Dosu off but didn't get a chance to get up when Naruto swooped in and slammed one of Zaku's arms to the ground with his foot. Sasuke could hear a loud crack of bone breaking under the force, followed by a scream.

"Please stop," Dosu said. His attitude changed from cocky to compliant almost immediately. "We know now that you are strong. We admit defeat this time."

That attitude seemed to piss Naruto off. He let go of Zaku and grabbed Dosu by the neck instead. "So you're the type to target the weak, huh?" he said.

"No, our target was Sasuke-kun. We didn't intend to attack the girl."

"Like I'd believe you, moron!" Naruto yelled as he threw Dosu to the ground. His feet pinned the guy by the chest. "I was going to let you off easy because you don't smell of her. How about I break a couple of ribs to give you a lesson?" Sasuke could hear something cracking under the pressure. That was when he broke away from the group, ran straight to Naruto, and grabbed him by the arm.

"Naruto, stop it!" he hissed. "They admit defeat and you beat two of them already. Let them go."

Naruto turned to him and hissed back, "Cracked ribs is a mild lesson for bullies like these guys."

Bullies. That was why he was suddenly so pissed off. "Naruto, you've done enough. Anymore than this and you'll give Sakura nightmares."

That was when Naruto's eyes snapped to Sakura as if her position had been in his peripheral vision all along. Sasuke's eyes followed him. She stood by Lee. Her face was as white as a sheet, like she was about to faint. She was shocked by what she saw, by what Naruto was capable of. He knew that Naruto could tell, too.

The marks began to retreat and Naruto's eyes slowly turned blue again, but there wasn't liveliness there. Naruto looked defeated. "Just go," Naruto told the Sound ninja. His voice sounded tired. "And don't let me see your faces again."

Dosu nodded. He quickly got up and, before moving to getting his teammates, put down his scroll. "You defeated us fair and square, so here is the prize according to the rule," he said.

Naruto just huffed and said, "Like I need anything from the likes of you." He didn't spare them another glance as he walked towards Sakura. Everybody's eyes were on him like they were trying to dissect him. Naruto didn't seem to care. He stopped two meters away from where Sakura stood and asked, "Are you alright, Sakura-chan? Are you badly hurt?"

She looked frightened, but she collected herself and smiled. "I got a sprained ankle and some bruises but nothing too serious. It'll be gone in a couple of days."

"Ah, I see," Naruto replied with a small smile on his face. "That's good then. I, ah, I guess Lee-san can help you for a bit, right?"

Lee was surprised by this, but he nodded firmly. Naruto nodded back. "I need to go wash up a bit. I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me, okay?"

Sakura looked like she was about to say something when Naruto took off. He met nobody's eyes as he crossed the clearing and into the woods. Sasuke turned to Sakura and said, "I'll follow him," before going after the blond boy.

Naruto seemed to have great speed when he decided to run away; it took Sasuke a good fifteen minutes to find him in the thickets. He dropped down behind the tree trunk and was about to confront Naruto when the sound of muffled sobs stopped him. He could hear the hiccups, the short intakes of breath, and the sound like sobs half swallowed into the throat coming from where Naruto hid.

Sasuke had never heard Naruto cry. He never thought he would. When he did, he couldn't move. He was torn between going to the blond boy to console him, knowing he would be intruding on a very private and vulnerable moment, and simply giving him some space. He knew Naruto wouldn't appreciate the former, Sasuke being his rival and all, but Sasuke couldn't turn back and walk away. His legs suddenly felt weak as the adrenalin that kept him going seeped away. He sat down behind the tree trunk, resting his back against it as he listened to sobs turning into crying and into wailing. Naruto sounded like a child so broken, so helpless, and so, so deep in despair.

Sasuke closed his eyes and let his own tears fall.

/***/

End of Chapter 7

**A/N:** I normally don't want to tell you guys the exact song I choose for the title so you can just leave it as it is or go find the song you think is the one. In this case, though, the song is so obscure it doesn't even have an audio online. So here is the lyrics to A Loss of Innocence by Slow Coming Day:

'In the blink of an eye, I watch as my soul dies.  
In only a moment, my heart is shattered to nothing.  
I have lost everything I am and ever will be forever.  
Guilt and anguish consume me.  
I could never make this feeling leave.  
Tears now my only words.  
As silence fills the room.  
I have lost everything I am and ever will be forever.  
I have lost everything.'


	8. Chapter 8: Kiss With a Fist

**A/N:** Since the last two chapters were pretty heavy and this is Christmas, here is some down time for the boys. **Jean Sumar** Thank you. I hope I can conjure more feels from you in the future. Gotta love the feels. XD

**03/11/2015:** This chapter has been, like always, edited by the marvelous Ashimodo.

**Chapter 8: Kiss With a Fist**

The Chuunin Exam seemed to have taken a break, and it became a camping trip just like the one Sakura's mother didn't let her go on when she was younger. Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru hung around after the rest left. They were given the scroll from the Sound team since they were fighting as well. Given the state of her ankle, Sakura was pretty much stuck with Ino while Chouji and Shikamaru went fishing at the stream.

She hadn't hung out with Ino like this for a long time. It felt like a lifetime ago that they decided to grow their hair and became rivals for Sasuke-kun's affection. Ino had been pretty hostile towards her when she learned that Sakura and Sasuke were on the same team. Well, Sakura might have bragged about it, too. Given their hostility, she was surprised at how their dynamic just got back to where it was years earlier, or how easily she could still read her friend.

Like then, Sakura could tell simply just by looking at her that she was planning something. "Whatever you're thinking, don't do it, Ino-pig," she said as she observed a rather sinister smile on her friend's face. "Sasuke-kun is tired already."

"Oh, Sakura. Like I would do anything against his wish. I was only thinking of a good night kiss, that's all," Ino replied and giggled. Previously, Sakura would have screamed at her friend saying that Sasuke was hers so Ino could back off, but right then she just sighed. The lack of heated response seemed to alarm Ino. "What happened?" she asked. "Did Sasuke-kun do something?"

Sakura didn't know what to say. It was not that she had given up on Sasuke entirely. After months of being his teammate, she had a distinct impression that Sasuke would never look at her the way she wanted. "I'm just thinking that I should give this Sasuke-kun-thing a break. I've been obsessed with him for way too long, I think. Right now I... Well, knowing him as I do sort of changes things."

"Wait, what, what, what!? Hold on. Are you saying Sasuke-kun has some disturbing, deep, dark secret quirk that put you off?" Ino asked. Sakura pouted. "Oh, c'mon, Sakura! Give your girlfriend all the juicy bits already."

"Well," Sakura started, "I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke-kun is into this kind of thing."

Ino paused, then shrieked, "What!? He's gay?"

"No! Shut up, Ino! He just never looks at any girl or guy at all! Like they don't register with him!" Well, maybe except one, and Sasuke denied everything so Sakura was going to accept that answer for the time being.

"Maybe he's just a late bloomer," Ino said. She nodded to herself like she was convinced her answer was correct.

"Yeah, maybe," Sakura said and sighed again. "It's not like I don't like him anymore, you know. I'm just...well, there are moments where I wasn't even sure who I was looking at."

Ino gave her a thoughtful look. "You mean, he's not like who you imagined?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sakura replied. "He can be so mean and so annoying sometimes. He doesn't listen to anybody and basically thinks we're worthless. Then there were moments when he was actually very thoughtful and kinda sweet." She shrugged. "He's more complicated than I thought, I guess."

Ino whistled. "Yeah, I can sort of see that. Back in the Academy, he was this aloof and cool guy who didn't talk to or befriend anybody. And look at him now, running off after Naruto like that. I wouldn't have thought that kind of thing could happen."

That made Sakura's heart sank a little. "Yeah," she said, pulling her knees to her chin.

Ino looked at her with concern. "What is it?" she asked.

"Ah, nothing. I'm just worried about Naruto," she replied.

Ino raised an eyebrow. "So... close proximity makes the heart grow fonder?" she teased.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It's 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', Ino-pig. Quote it right," she said. "And he's my teammate, too. He was already better than me when we started this. And now he's leaving me in the dust." She huffed in frustration. If only she were stronger, she could have protected them, and maybe Naruto wouldn't have to push himself so hard and become so... scary.

"I've got to admit, though, that I didn't think he could... fight like that," said Ino hesitantly. "I know this is the Chuunin Exam and it's supposed to be a fight to the death and all that crap, but-"

"-Naruto wasn't going to kill them," Sakura said firmly.

Ino looked at her and shook her head. "I know that, stupid. Or that girl would have been dead already, not just in need of facial reconstruction," Ino replied. She shuddered a little bit. "And what's with those black, creepy marks and that chakra anyway? Since when did he know how to do something like that?"

"That wasn't him," said Sakura. That much she was certain.

Ino looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Sakura ended up telling Ino everything about the fight with the creepy Grass ninja and of Naruto's strange chakra that he seemed to be able to tap into from time to time. Something seemed to click in Ino's head.

"You know," her friend started slowly. "You know my family runs a flower shop, right?" Sakura nodded. "See. When I was very young, I 'helped out' in the shop and there was one time when this lady came in to buy flowers for her family's grave. She chatted to my mom not knowing I was around there behind the counter and mentioned not letting 'the fox boy' come close to me at school. I didn't know what she was talking about, so I didn't care. The fox boy part stuck, though, because I couldn't figure out who in our class she was referring to."

Sakura caught on immediately. "You think it's Naruto?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know, Sakura. The whisker marks make him look vaguely like one, but, like, who knows really. It could have been someone else."

Sakura could feel gears turning in her head. "Do you remember that time when Naruto got bullied on the playground by that group of boys?"

Ino huffed and said, "Oh my god, that's so vague. Like how many times has Naru-" She paused. "Oh my god, I didn't realize."

Sakura didn't either. She had always thought Naruto was loud and annoying, but sifting back through her memory gave her a completely different perspective. "There was one time that a gang of boys beat him up with sticks. One of them shouted, 'Kill the fox'. A teacher dragged them off the playground right away. They never broke up a fight like that. That was probably the only time it happened."

"Yeah," Ino replied softly. Her eyes suddenly snapped to Sakura's. "This might sound crazy, but I'm just going to put it out there, okay?"

"What is it?" Sakura asked, too impatient to hold back already.

"Well," Ino began. She seemed unsure about what she was going to say next. "What if Naruto _is _the Kyuubi?"

/***/

When the boys came back from the stream, they were greeted by the sight of the two girls rolling on the forest floor, laughing their asses off.

"Oh, this is troublesome," muttered Shikamaru. Naruto was right behind him and it therefore took him another two steps to actually see what was going on. And even then he was simply too confused to say anything.

"Oi, Naruto!" Ino called out and waved at him, still wheezing through her nose. "Glad you're back."

Naruto just looked at her. He got a feeling something was up.

"Please don't tell me you ate some kind of mushroom around here," Shikamaru said as he handed their pack of grilled fish to Naruto for safe keeping and walked over to his teammate. And by safe keeping he meant from Chouji. The guy had had his share on the shore of the stream where they grilled the fish, but was still looking for more. Naruto hugged the pack tightly.

"I swear to the gods, Ino had the most ridiculous punchline ever," Sakura-chan said as she sat up. Her eyes were still filled with mirth as they set on Naruto. Despite her shorter hair and sprained ankle, Sakura was still in high spirit. Naruto was relieved.

"We've been waiting for you guys for so long," Ino complained. "Where's our food?"

Naruto gladly ran over to the girls and handed out the fish. He made sure Sakura got the big one he caught. He joined in later in the catch when he caught sight of Chouij and Shikamaru by the stream. Sasuke joined them just moments later and caught an even bigger one than Naruto's. Lucky for Naruto, Chouji laid claim to it before any of them could.

"That one is for you, Sakura-chan," He said as he put the fish on the leaf-plate they made. "I caught this myself!" he added with his usual big grin.

Sakura smiled in return before she feigned a scoff. "Are you sure it's edible?" she said.

"Ah, c'mon, Sakura-chan. Have a little faith in me, would ya?" he said,the smile still on his face.

To his surprise, she nodded and started to eat the fish. The thing wasn't seasoned at all, but they were so tired and hungry that any food tasted like it was god-sent. Satisfied that she was eating, he got up and sat down on the ground further away to devour his share of the meal. Sasuke sat between him and Sakura while Shikamaru sat by Ino. Chouji wasn't allowed any more fish and had to keep watch from a branch above them.

"So, what do you think we should do?" Shikamaru asked with his mouth half-full, which made him look kind of disgusting.

"I think we should move after this," said Sasuke. "Both our teams have the scrolls, we might as well just go straight for the tower."

"Wait," Naruto interjected, "what about Sakura-chan's ankle? Why don't we stay here for a day or something?"

"No, the fire we set beside the stream would've attracted other teams already. We should get our hides out of here," said Shikamaru.

"But if we run into enemies, we're done for if we are too tired to fight," Naruto countered.

Shikamaru gave this a thought and nodded. "True," he said, "We should rest then, but it can't be here. We have to move further before finding shelter."

"I can travel," Sakura said. Her fish was nothing but bones now. "The sprain isn't bad, but I'm still going to slow you guys down, so we should get moving soon to cover the distance."

"But Sakura-chan-"

She cut him short with a shake of her head. "The sooner we get to the tower, the better. We should do this before the six of us run out of gas."

Naruto looked at her and nodded. With that decided, there wasn't anything he could say to persuade them otherwise. They finished up their meals and prepared for the long walk. It was then that Sasuke came over and spoke to him. "Why don't you go and help Sakura?" he said.

Naruto just looked at him.

"She would only injure herself if she pushed too hard. You can be her crutch for the time being, right?" Sasuke said.

Naruto didn't know where that came from. He just didn't like it. "Well, why don't you do it? She'll be thrilled," Naruto replied. The thought of him touching Sakura, of even being close to her, made his stomach churn.

"I have to stand guard," said Sasuke in that all-important tone of his.

"Pfft, oh please, Almighty Uchiha, save us all," Naruto scoffed. "You're about ready to drop dead. Don't act like you're invincible, Sasuke. You go with her. I'll be the guard," he said, then walked off. He didn't want to argue about this with Sasuke. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Sakura. Naruto would do anything for her, but the question was: should he? Did he even have the right to?

"Hey, you ready?" Shikamaru asked. He looked as bored as ever, like nothing he had seen before really affected him. While everybody thought Shikamaru was lazy because he couldn't give a damn, Naruto liked Shikamaru because of that.

"Yeah, let's go," he said. They took off shortly after.

/***/

The trek through the forest was a long and tiring one. They started out carrying Sakura to get a head start. Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Chouji all took turns. Ino was at the front checking their trail for traps, animals, and enemies. They managed to get a view of the tower before nightfall.

After that was where things was going to get really tricky, so they decided to rest there for the night. Ino and Chouji scouted the area for potential enemies and traps as Shikamaru let Sakura down in front of a big shrub they decided to use for hiding.

"All clear," Naruto poked his head out of bush with a wide smile. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Did this guy ever run out of energy?

"Quiet, Naruto," Sakura chided him in a sharp whisper, "but thanks."

Naruto still had the smile on his face when he crawled out and pulled back a branch. Sakura took the cue and crawled in. Shikamaru followed soon after, then Naruto turned to Sasuke expectantly.

Sasuke just said, "I'll wait for the scout."

"I can do that, Bastard. Now don't act tough. Get in," Naruto countered.

Sasuke sighed and sat down next to Naruto as the blond gave him the stink eyes.

"You don't trust me at all, do you?" he said as he released the branch. "What a great team-player."

Sasuke did not dignify that comment with a response. He asked, "How's the seal?"

Naruto's hand automatically shot up to his neck close to where the mark was. "Is it... is it showing?" he asked quietly. His voice had a slight tremor that Sasuke barely registered.

"No," Sasuke replied, "But you were touching your neck a lot. And you hissed a few times while doing it. I thought I should ask."

"It's nothing," Naruto said. His hand didn't leave his shoulder, though. "It just itches sometimes."

Sasuke doubted that was all there was, but he knew Naruto wasn't going to admit that the seal was acting up. "Let me have a look," he said as his hand grabbed Naruto by the shoulder and pulled so Naruto was facing him. He pulled down the zipper in front of Naruto's jacket and pulled the fabric back so he could have a better look at the seal.

The seal looked dormant. It didn't change the shape from the first time he saw it. He ran his fingers over the inked skin slowly but couldn't feel anything underneath or on it. A seal from pure chakra. Sasuke had never heard of anything like it before.

With his hand on Naruto's shoulder, he could feel the muscle shaking slightly under his fingers. He made a quick once over and could see how tired Naruto was. It was hard to tell without basically being in Naruto's personal space, because Naruto seemed to have endless energy when he moved around. And Naruto moved around a lot.

Naruto gave him a weird look, so Sasuke quickly diverted his attention, "You said it itches?"

Naruto swallowed and said, "Yeah."

Sasuke pulled his hands back and reached for his pouch. He did not have anything that could really help, but he thought something cool might do. He pulled out a small towel, drenched it with water, and dabbed it on the seal. "This should help a little," he muttered.

"It's not too bad," Naruto said, but Sasuke ignored him and continued on his work. "Stop already, Sasuke," Naruto protested, but his voice was too tired to have any conviction, so Sasuke lingered. It was Naruto who pulled away when they heard a cough.

"We're back," said Chouji. "Want an update?"

Sasuke nodded. He was a little startled that he didn't notice the chubby boy approaching at all. To his surprise, Ino, instead of coming after him like she usually did, went straight for the opening in the bush. "I'll update the people inside," she said hastily before disappearing into the shrub, leaving the confused boys behind.

"What's with her?" Naruto turned to Chouji and asked. Chouji just shrugged before he sat down and told them about the layout of the place around them. Basically, they were surrounded by traps. It seemed that many teams chose to get the scroll close to the tower, knowing they had a better chance at getting the one they needed. From here on would probably be all out war. Sasuke didn't like the sound of it.

He tried to come up with a way to get out of this place faster, but couldn't really think of anything but the use of stealth. A group of six would be a bit large for that, but if they could coordinate their movements, they might be able to slip past those traps quite all right. He needed to talk to Shikamaru about this. "I'll take the first watch with Shikamaru if he's okay with that. The rest of you should eat and rest."

It was hard to tell what Chouji felt. He looked at Sasuke and nodded gravely before going inside the shrub. Naruto, however, remained.

"Oi, Dead-last, when I said the rest that includes you, too," Sasuke said, but Naruto wasn't moving.

"So? Who died and made you the leader anyway?" Naruto replied. "I'm the Almighty Uchiha. I don't need to rest. I can take care of everybody. All hail me!" Sasuke was sure he purposefully drawled just to be extra annoying.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Your taunts are getting old, Uzumaki," he said, too tired to be riled up by Naruto's childishness

"Yeah? Your attitude is getting old too, Sasuke," Naruto replied. He moved to a crouch, clearly trying to intimidate Sasuke who was sitting. "You like to act like you're better than everybody, like the earthly things like sleep and food and tiredness are so beneath you. Bad news, you fool nobody, bastard."

Sasuke could feel a start of a headache. "Now listen here, Dope," he said, pressing forward into Naruto's personal space. "I AM better than the lot of you. But no, I'm not above sleeping or eating or getting tired, but I can manage it better. I'm an Uchiha, Naruto. I don't think you know what that means."

Naruto looked about ready to shout a comeback, when he suddenly tipped forward by an unseen force. Sasuke's reaction time was off because of the day's journey, so he didn't managed to catch Naruto before their faces mashed, their noses collided, and their mouths basically locked to one another.

Also because of delay in reaction time, it took a good three seconds for both him and Naruto to pull back and tried to spit out the after taste.

When Sasuke looked up again, he saw Nara Shikamaru looking rather amused. "Did I come at a bad time?" he asked. Sasuke had the urge to strangle him.

"What did you do that for?" Naruto turned to Shikamaru, still rubbing his mouth.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "How would I know you'd be crouching close to the entrance way? Next time move back a bit, unless you were planning on kissing him all along."

Sasuke had never thought Naruto's face could turn that red. Then again, Naruto was rarely embarrassed. Sasuke just didn't know what face to make. "Go inside already," he told Naruto, who grudgingly zipped up his jacket and disappeared into the bush. It was too awkward for Naruto to stay behind after that anyway.

Shikamaru, thankfully, did not make any comment about the scene he accidentally caused. He motioned them to a branch above the shrub where they could talk and watch the surroundings from a higher point. "Chouji said you want to talk to me," he stated in his usual bored tone as he settled in a position facing opposite of Sasuke. Sasuke nodded.

He told Shikamaru about what he thought was their best way of moving forward. Shikamaru listened quietly before adding his two cents to the pile. They were going to move in pairs. First pair would be the scouts, for which Sasuke volunteered. His Sharingan could see some chakra infused traps and genjutsu traps, so it would be easier for them to trudge through. Shikamaru would come with him so he could lay out the track for the second team: Sakura and Ino. The last team would be behind to cover their tracks and check if there was anyone behind them. That would be Naruto and Chouji.

"Man, Ino and Naruto are going to complain about us not asking for their input. It's going to be so much trouble getting those two on board," Shikamaru complained. Sasuke couldn't agree more.

"I'll convince Ino. You'll convince Naruto," Sasuke said. He hoped that her way-too-obvious infatuation with him would come in handy.

"Sure," Shikamaru replied. There was a moment of silence as they watched the last light of the sun going out. "So, Ino told me something interesting."

Sasuke had a distinct feeling he wouldn't like where this was going.

"She said you and Naruto might be a couple."

Oh, gods. Not again.

"She said she saw you two eye-fucking while cuddling with your hand inside Naruto's jacket."

"Exaggeration," Sasuke countered.

Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow. "So you're not denying that you and Naruto-"

"No. I mean, yes, I deny having anything to do with that idiot," Sasuke replied. He willed the blood down from his face. "I was just checking his injury."

Shikamaru's eyebrow went a little higher, if that was even possible. "Okay, sure," he said. His tone was layered with much skepticism. Sasuke was going to deny it some more when Shikamaru suddenly looked serious. "I was planning on giving you the 'hurt-him-and-you-die' speech, you know. I guess I don't have to do that then."

Sasuke was puzzled.

Shikamaru scratched his stomach and said, "Look, I know for a fact that Naruto doesn't have a lot of friends. Me and Chouji are probably the only two people who've seen the inside of his room. I was a little worried when I knew he was going to be in the same team as you, because I knew he hated your guts. He has a hand-drawn 'Beat Sasuke' poster in his bedroom. You look pretty hideous on it."

"You talk a lot," Sasuke replied. This was really getting awkward. He didn't think he was supposed to know this.

"But what I was afraid of the most was that he was going to be left behind," Shikamaru added like he didn't hear Sasuke at all. "You're not good for him. You're an arrogant bastard who couldn't give a damn about what other people feel. I was sure you were going to treat him like shit. I was looking forward to seeing him knocking you over."

Sasuke had to admit that he was surprised by that sentiment. Shikamaru might not act like he cared much about the world, but he clearly cared about Naruto in his own quiet and aloof way.

"I guess I just want to say thanks for trying to care for him," Shikamaru said and sighed. "I know he's unbearable. He's just trying to live the best he knows how. I can't always be there to remind him that he's not alone. I'm glad that at least you can do that when I can't."

He just stared at Shikamaru, not knowing how to respond to that. His family and teachers had thanked him for helping out before, but this was the first time he was thanked for something he decided to do largely by himself. It felt...weird, like his chest was suddenly infused with warmth and expanding beyond its usual capability. He quickly remembered that he needed to respond and said, "You're welcome," before going back to watching the darkened forest. Not at any point did he admit to himself that being thanked felt... nice.

/***/

End of Chapter 8

**A/N:** The legendary accidental kiss has made the appearance. :P


	9. Chapter 9: Fallin'

**A/N:** This is a short but hopefully intense chapter. Thank you so much for following this story. Enjoy!

Since there are long replies to reviews left since last chapter, I'm going to put them at the end of this chapter instead. :)

**12/07/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 9: Fallin'**

The trek to the tower was less eventful than the first two days of their test. They had a run-in with a team of Rain ninja and another brush with a trap that they managed to escape before any serious encounter happened. The plan of trying to avoid other teams meant they spent over a day and a half to get to the tower instead of what could easily be a day trek. Naruto thanked his luck for being teamed with Chouji and for Sakura being injured enough that they were not going full speed. He doubted he could keep up.

When he told Sasuke that the seal itched, he didn't lie. It did itch, but it also caused spasms down his arm and back and a considerable level of pain. It didn't happen often, but each time it did, the pain was enough that Naruto wasn't able to hide it completely. It acted up three times on their way to the tower. He was lucky that Chouji noticed only once and he was able to brush it off. Once they got inside, though, he doubted that he could keep it from his teammates for much longer.

And it was just his luck that he had to room with Sasuke.

This didn't sound like much of a change, but in the forest the attention was directed outward because there was danger lurking just out of sight. Once they were safe, the attention was going to turn inward. Naruto felt the sense of doom as they were shown to their room. He almost thought of using sexy no jutsu and going to room with Sakura just down the hall. The moment they were alone, Naruto was sure the bastard was going to start asking questions, like he did on and off for weeks about various things already. Naruto had to be careful if he was going to keep his condition low-key.

As soon as the door was shut behind them, Sasuke turned to him. Naruto knew this was it. He was going to-

Before he could even freak out properly, Naruto blurted out, "Let's go take a bath."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He blinked in confusion.

Naruto realized what he just said and realized the utter genius of it. This place had public bath. Sasuke wouldn't ask him anything strange in a place like that.

"C'mon, Sasuke. Let's go," he said, basically bouncing off the walls as he went for the closet and grabbed a yukata. They'd bathe, and Naruto would snooze as soon as they got back. No time for Sasuke to say anything. Good plan.

"Tch, do you ever get tired, Dead-last?" said Sasuke had the grabbed another yukata and a towel before following Naruto out of the room. They met Sakura-chan and Ino on the way also heading to the bath. He learned from them that there were hot tubs.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Naruto shouted, shooting his hands in the air. "HOT TUBS!"

"Oh, geez," Sakura said, "where do you get your energy from?"

Naruto just smiled and went ahead into the changing room with a wave. He didn't want to snub Sakura that way, but he needed to get away from Sasuke. He quickly took off his clothes and went for the bathing area with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. He found Shikamaru and Chouji scrubbing up and Naruto joined them immediately, hoping their presence would deter Sasuke. He was glad that Sasuke didn't join in. He just watched from afar as he cleaned himself from another side of the room.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru, that lazy bastard, saw right through him. "Having a row with the boyfriend?" he said offhandedly.

Naruto nearly dropped a small plastic tub containing considerable amount of water on his own head. "THE HELL!" he yelled.

Shikamaru gave him a look. "Honestly, if you don't want us to tease you, don't react so much," he said before dousing himself in water. "He could at least stop glaring at us, though. Ino has enough ideas about you two already."

"He's just weird, man. You know that," Naruto said, trying to shrug it off.

"Oh? How so?"

Naruto contemplated just brushing it off, but he hadn't had a chance to talk to Shikamaru in a while. During their trip here, Shikamaru mostly stuck with Sasuke. Or rather, Sasuke dragged him along everywhere and only talked shop with him. They were acting like the leaders of the group, making decisions and plans between the two of them. Naruto could understand why. Sasuke was smart, hands down. Shikamaru, despite his just above average track record, was actually a really smart guy, too. Naruto knew this firsthand. It just pissed Naruto off that Sasuke didn't consider his opinion worthy even though they were teammates.

Thinking about it made him want to punch the Bastard. He decided that all he needed was ranting about him to Shikamaru. "Well," Naruto started, "he made really weird small talks, asking really personal things that it was positively creepy."

Shikamaru just looked thoughtfully at him and asked, "Are you sure he wasn't coming on to you or something?"

"Ugh, don't say that!" And he thought hanging out with Shikamaru was a good idea. Honestly, every suggestion from Shikamaru was just giving him gooseflesh. "Anyway, I was saying that Sasuke was just not normal. I don't get what his brooding is all about and he does it all the time. How can anybody be that broody and survive for longer than a year? I tell you, man, it's draining the energy out of the team."

"Maybe you should ask him about that," Shikamaru suggested.

"Why should I?" said Naruto. "I don't want him to go emo all over me."

Shikamaru gave him a look. "And here you are ranting to me like I can do anything," he said.

"Well, at least you listen to me. He never listens to me, or Sakura-chan actually. He's all high and mighty and self-important that his team doesn't matter. My opinion isn't important enough that he'd give a damn."

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment before he said, "Well, I can see your point there."

"Right!?" Naruto replied excitedly. Finally, Shikamaru was in agreement with him. "Teaming with him is so frustrating, not to mention he's usually just down right rude, you know. Let me tell ya-"

Before Naruto could carry on with his rant, he felt a firm gripped on his shoulder. He stood up and spun around and there was Sasuke with the darkest expression he'd ever seen. The Uchiha didn't say anything, he just grabbed Naruto by the back of his neck and dragged him out to the changing area so fast Naruto thought the floor just moved under his feet.

There Sasuke threw him against the wall. "Seems like you have a lot you wanna tell me," he said. His voice was tight with anger.

Naruto smirked. "Finally come down from your throne, Uchiha?" he taunted. He widened his stance automatically like every time they got into a fight.

"Didn't I tell you it was getting old? Why don't you say what you want to say to my face, coward?" Sasuke snarled.

"Like it would ever find your ear holes, bastard," Naruto snarled back.

Sasuke made a threatening step closer. "Try me, Idiot," he said.

"Yeah?" Naruto chuckled and said, "You want me to tell you how much of a jerk you are? Because I tell you every goddamn single day and you could never comprehend what I say."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Is this about Sakura-"

"Oh, now you're deflecting."

"Uzumaki, cut the crap."

"This is NOT about Sakura, asshole. It's about YOU. You and your higher-than-thou attitude. What do you think I am? Your minion? What about Sakura? One of your groupies? By the way, if that is what you think, I am so going to knock all your teeth out of your mouth and I wouldn't even care if your fan-girl army is going to stone me to death afterward."

"Naruto," Sasuke growled, "Stop hiding behind Sakura! Keep her out of this and tell me what's your problem."

"You, bastard. You are the epitome of my problem. You think you know better. You think you are better. No, wait. Let me quote you: I am better than the lot of you. Want me to do an impersonation, too? I can do that."

"Naruto, you're trying my patience."

"See!?" Naruto pointed at his face; "That right there is my problem. You think you are so great you couldn't care less what the rest of us think. You can't even just listen to me."

"That's because you're a moron!" Sasuke shouted loud enough that Naruto took an involuntary step backward.

But his hand were balled in a fist. "That's it!" Naruto shouted. He had said enough.

He threw a punch into Sasuke's face. The Uchiha blocked him and gave him a mean left hook that Naruto barely dodged. He stumbled backward a bit from the force and was greeted with an insufferable smirk on Sasuke's face. "Can't even throw a punch, Dead-last."

Naruto lunged forward, but his feet faltered as the pain shot down his body. Every muscle seemed to contract violently and uncontrollably. He felt a surge of chakra so powerful it burned him inside out only to ebb away and leave him cold and trembling. He couldn't breathe, could barely register that he was face first on the floor with blood dripping down his nose.

Then suddenly he felt his stomach twisted, like somebody had reached in with hot burning hands and torn his insides apart. He tried to grab hold onto something, anything, as his sanity seemed to slip and his entire body cramped up. Was he about to die? He smelled blood, his own blood. He could see his fingers digging into the wooden floor, tearing it until his own hand was torn. He couldn't feel it. All he felt was the burn coming in and out his body unlike any other pain he had every experience.

He was rolled onto his back as he began to see dark spots in his vision and the sound started to fade into high-pitch ringing. The world was beginning to fade and he was grateful for it. He didn't know if he could take it any longer.

And just as he thought it was going to end, it started all over again.

/***/

When Kakashi arrived, the room was already full of people. There were two medical-nin examining an unconscious Naruto on the bed. Two ANBU guarded the door and the window. Kakashi knew there were more of them outside the window, down the hall, and in the adjacent rooms. In the room was also Sasuke being treated by a medic for the cuts on his back.

Sasuke looked up at him and Kakashi was struck by how worn out he looked. He looked rattled, which was more than Kakashi had ever seen him.

"We were fighting," Sasuke told him quietly when he stopped in front of the boy. He didn't even ask for a report yet. "Then he was on the floor writhing and screaming. Those ugly marks were all over him. I don't know what happened."

Kakashi patted the boy gently on the head. Sasuke might hate this, but there wasn't a lot of space on Sasuke's shoulders and upper arms that wasn't bruised or cut already. He didn't want to aggravate those injuries.

One of the medics by Naruto's bed motioned him over. He looked concerned enough that Kakashi was starting to worry. When he got there, he saw it.

And he'd thought he had to be worried about Sasuke. After all, that was who the intel told him was Orochimaru's intended target. It seemed that the cryptic 'someone interesting' he divulged to Anko in their brief encounter was instead Naruto. Everything had just gotten more complicated.

"It is dormant now," said the medic. "It seems to react to the child's emotional state and pull out a lot of chakra."

With anyone else, Kakashi didn't need to be worried about this, but Naruto didn't have ordinary chakra reserves. "His chakra pathways?"

"Intact," the medic said. "But he can't risk using too much chakra right now or he might burn them. He'll need time to recover for a week at least, not to mention getting the cursed seal blocked off."

That Kakashi could do. He didn't know, though, if now was the right time to put a seal on top of a seal, not to mention the complication with that seal. "We'll have to take him off the Chuunin Exam, then."

"You can't do that!" came the protest from across the room, not that it was far off. And Sasuke had good hearing too.

Kakashi sighed. "This is a medical order, Sasuke," he said. "It's not up for contest."

"But he's already come this far, Kakashi! You know Naruto would want to see this through. You can't just-"

Before Sasuke could finish the sentence, Kakashi was in front of him. The sound of his fist slamming into the wall next to the boy shut Sasuke up instantly. "I know what Naruto would have wanted. And like yours, his wants or opinions do not factor in here. Stop acting like a spoiled brat and leave the decision to people who know what they are doing," Kakashi said. He didn't raise his voice, but the look on Sasuke's face was enough to tell that he got the message. Satisfied that Sasuke was going to be silent, he turned to the ANBU nearby. "Please inform the Hokage of Naruto's condition and have an escort team assembled. We move him as soon as the path is cleared."

Sasuke's head perked up again, but he knew better than to protest this time. Kakashi was glad he didn't. Now really was not the time. He made his way to the door when Sasuke snarled, "I'll demand an explanation after this."

"Sure," Kakashi replied and left.

/***/

Sakura found Sasuke-kun the next day in the little cafeteria they have in the tower. He looked so distraught and angry that everyone just gave him a wide breadth. Even Ino decided to stay close to her teammates instead of pestering Sasuke for attention. Sakura, however, did not have the same the luxury.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun," she said as she sat down opposite of him. "Where's Naruto?"

The dark aura around him seemed to grow even darker. "I don't know," he said.

Sakura smiled tentatively. "Did you two fight again?" she asked offhandedly. After all, they fought all the time.

This time Sasuke flinched like she had hit him. Sakura blinked in surprise.

"What happened?" she asked. Surely it couldn't be anything that they couldn't resolve before the third round in the afternoon.

The look in Sasuke's eyes was something she had never seen before. He looked... guilty... and to some extend hurt. "We fought yesterday, and the seal acted up badly. They moved him to the hospital in Konoha last night. "

"Wait, but if he's not here-"

"Kakashi officially withdrew his name. There are just the two of us now."

Sakura had to let that sink in for a few seconds. Naruto had to withdraw? "But he was fine since that fight with the Sound ninja."

"He hid it from us," Sasuke said, anger clear in his voice. "He said it itched. Itched his ass! It was killing him and he had the audacity to not say anything."

Sakura didn't know what do. She had never seen Sasuke so upset. She thought of taking his hand like she did the girls when they were crying, but she knew a boy like Sasuke wouldn't like that. She needed to say something to ease his worries, but 'it'll be okay' or 'he'll be fine' somehow fell short.

So she went with her instinct. "I'm glad you care this much," she said. Sasuke looked at her like she just socked him in the jaw. "I've never seen you hang out with anyone, even back in the Academy, and to be honest I've always been a little worried that you might be lonely." She tried to smile. "I'm glad you care about Naruto. At least you're not alone any more."

Sasuke looked at her like he didn't understand a thing she said. Then his face turned to anger. "I don't care about him. He's just an assignment Kakashi gave me to improve my skills, that's all," he snapped.

Sakura blinked. "I don't understand," she said.

He huffed. "Kakashi said I lack the ability to gather information from socialization, so he gave me an assignment to try to befriend Naruto. I couldn't care less what happens to that moron. If he couldn't even think of telling us what's going on-"

Sasuke cut himself short, stood up, and walked off. For a moment, she thought of following him, but she figured he needed to blow some steam. Sakura wouldn't be able to help him anyway. When she turned back to scan the room, she found Ino looking at her sympathetically while Shikamaru just shook his head. Even Chouji had stopped eating to see how she was doing.

Sakura stood up and moved over to Ino's table.

/***/

End of Chapter 9

**TacticalDubstep SupernaturalHearts Chubby-King-Chocobo Glorilian** Thank you so much guys! I hope you're ready for the shit-storm that's coming up.

**Emerald Time** Thank you so much! Well, since some of your questions will be answered in this and the next few chapters, I'm going to just answer the ones that won't come up. Ino was just speculating about Naruto with Sakura, so Naruto being the Kyuubi vessel is not yet a confirmed fact for them. They even think it's kind of ridiculous (and hence laughing their asses off). If only they know how close they are to the fact.

**ZyiareHellsing** I'm pretty sure Ino ships them. :D

**Guest** Oh, I totally agree with you that Naruto and Sasuke are very capable of hurting each other, physically and emotionally (and we're going to see a lot of that before all this is said and done). I think we don't ever get to see how Naruto could have hurt Sasuke because there is always a clear faith in Naruto's goodness, while there is nothing like that for Sasuke even before he turns full-on baddie material. I don't know if there will be a 'hurt him and you die' on Sasuke's behave yet. I'm inclined to write a scene of that. At this point, I don't think their friends are willing to accept that Naruto is capable of doing great harm to someone close to him just yet.

**crystal. ward. 9083** There's a looooooong way before we have to decide about that actually. I'm all for seme Naruto, but I'll let the boys tell me what they want.

**nekomode** If you are referring to manga chapter 699 and 700, actually this story is in someway a response to that. I know I'm probably overdoing it since I'm pretty much rewriting the entire thing, but we'll see how this one goes. As for your questions, answering them would constitute spoilers, right? Let's say the answers are coming up in the next ten-or-so chapters, so please stay tuned.

**Killua17** Oh, how I wish Sasuke is that perceptive about his feelings. *sigh*


	10. Chapter 10: Stronger

**A/N:** Again responses to the comments are below and nothing to really warn you guys about for this chapter. Enjoy!

**12/07/2015:** This chapter has been better by Ashimodo. Hands to the man.

**Chapter 10: (What Doesn't Kill You Make You) Stronger**

Sasuke was defeated.

Not in the preliminary third round, of course, although it was a little tough. He didn't sleep well the night before despite being desperately tired. His chakra was pretty low. Most of all his temper was getting to him a lot.

He lost a good portion of his chakra to his opponent when he was too slow to escape a death grip on his face. The guy was able to steal chakra. What a freak. After being taunted that he was nothing without his chakra, he snapped and went all out on the guy using taijutsu. He might have stolen a few moves from Rock Lee, but in the end it was all him that knocked the guy out.

He should be happy that he got to fight a strong opponent, but he felt nothing. He was numb as he fought. He was numb as he watched. Even as he got to see the strength of monsters like Gaara, Neji, and Lee, there wasn't the thrill there.

He struggled to remember why he wanted to fight strong opponents. He struggled to remember why he used to be so excited. He wanted to be angry with Itachi again so he could be alive like he used to, so he would want to fight people like Gaara like he used to. Right then, he didn't feel like Gaara was worth his attention at all. Gaara was a speck of sand, maybe a danger but nothing more than a peripheral satellite.

At the end of the matches he had to admit that he was fighting a losing battle, a battle he wasn't able to admit he was fighting the whole time. Sakura was right. He was lonely. He just never had anything else to measure that loneliness with so he thought he was fine. Once he had tasted the forbidden fruit, he couldn't go back to that any more. He felt like he would die a little inside whenever he tried to. So he admitted defeat and surrendered.

He missed Naruto.

/***/

The room was quite frankly poorly secured. It didn't take much for him to get into the hospital room through the window and sit on the side of the bed. The blond boy looked so peaceful in his sleep. He ran his finger gently on the round cheek. It was surprisingly soft to touch.

"First I thought he was just an insolent child, but he looks so precious sleeping like this. Don't you agree, Kakashi-kun?"

Although the jounin was in fighting stance, he knew there wasn't much Kakashi could do, not against a sannin, especially not with the Nine-tail child in the mix.

"Why are you here, Orochimaru?" the Jounin asked.

"To check on my precious find, of course," Orochimaru replied. "I see you have put a seal on him. That's why he has been unconscious. I had hoped to see him fight in the third round. You shouldn't have been so hasty and ruined my entertainment."

"It's your seal that ruins it. It's interfering with the Nine-tail seal. Naruto nearly got his chakra pathways burned."

"No, he won't," replied Orochimaru. "Usually, I'd just let that happen to see if the body could cope, but Naruto-kun is too important for that and I'm not stupid enough to waste my energy only to get a precious thing like this destroyed." He said as he ran his hand through the boy's hair.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. His hand came up front and sparks started to fly.

"Now, now, we're in a hospital. What do the doctors say about electronics?" Orochimaru chided.

"There are ANBU guarding this building inside and out. They are all tracking his chakra. You won't be able to take him away."

Orochimaru laughed. Kakashi was a smart kid but never smart enough. "No, I don't need to do that, because Naruto-kun will come to me."

Kakashi eyes' narrowed. "He doesn't need your power or your hideous jutsu."

Orochimaru got up from the bed and walked leisurely to the open window, taunting Kakashi to take the risk. He knew he wouldn't, because Kakashi was too smart for such a rash action. Maybe he should give him another hint. "The question is not what he needs, Kakashi-kun. It's what he wants. Can this puny little village full of insincerity give him that?" he said with a smile before jumping out the window.

Could Kakashi understand what he just said? Maybe. That boy was bright enough.

But would he be able to do anything about it? Orochimaru doubted that very much.

/***/

"I'm sorry, but the patient is in isolated care right now. No visitors allowed," was what the receptionist at the hospital told him when Sasuke arrived the morning after the prelim. He knew he was supposed to rest, but he couldn't sit still in his room. Since he had admitted to himself that he wanted to see Naruto, he didn't see the point of delaying a visit any longer.

As it happened, that was also the answer he got three days later. Since he wasn't Naruto's family or next of kin, no one would answer any of his questions. Nobody would tell him about Kakashi either.

He'd tried to find Kakashi since the first day he got back from the Chuunin Exam, but couldn't get a hold of him. His suspicion was that Kakashi was at the hospital watching over Naruto and avoiding having to explain the situation to Sasuke. He might be young, but Sasuke was not stupid enough to think that a seal or Naruto's condition was something to notify the Hokage about if there wasn't something else at play. Underneath the underneath like Kakashi liked to say.

As was his habit of the past three days. Sasuke sat in the waiting room, intending to stay a couple of hours just in case he could catch Kakashi, or anyone asking for Naruto or Kakashi who got a different answer than he did. Ino and Shikamaru came by the desk the other day after visiting Chouji to ask about Naruto, but were told off in the same vague and indifferent way. Sakura came by to see both Lee and Naruto. She only got directed to Lee's room.

The third day was the first time he heard someone asking for Kakashi. The man stood out even in a village with eccentric fashion sense like Konoha. He reminded him somewhat of Naruto with just how loud he dressed. He just hoped that Naruto wouldn't have long, messy, spiky white hair when he grew old.

Sasuke smirked to himself. The man standing out this much meant that he'd be a perfect diversion. Sasuke stood up. He walked to the drinking fountain, stealing a few flowers from a bouquet a girl had on his way there. He trailed the man up the stairs, careful to keep enough distance and shield his chakra enough to look like a civilian. He purposefully dropped his change when he got to the floor, feigning clumsiness as he picked each of the coins up, the corner of his eyes tracking the white-haired man's movement.

Sasuke noted the door the guy disappeared into. He gathered the rest of the change, got up, and walked leisurely past the room. He stole a quick glance on the nameplate and smirked. It said Uzumaki.

He walked on to the next room, using the footsteps of a civilian, opened the door, and got in. In the room was an old couple who looked rather confused at his presence. "Your flowers, Ma'am," he said as he put the flowers in the old lady's hand. She seemed to blush slightly, but Sasuke was too busy increasing the shield of his chakra to be sure.

Before the husband could react, Sasuke was out of the room, walking absolutely noiselessly to Naruto's door.

"This is going to be complicated," came the voice of the man Sasuke had been following. "The five-part seal stops the flow of the extra chakra. That's the only reason his chakra pathways hadn't been burnt out when the cursed seal became active. But I have to say I'm impressed that the kid even survived that. A lesser person might have died mere hours after the cursed seal is put on."

"Naruto is always full of life," came Kakashi's voice. Confirming Sasuke's suspicion that he had been here all along. "What do you recommend we do?"

There was a long sigh. "Tough to say. The instability in his chakra flow comes about because the combination of the three seals. We could take the five-part seal off. The cursed seal would become more stable, BUT if it becomes active again, he might die."

Sasuke swallowed. He didn't know when his throat became so dry.

"I guess ideally we'd want to get rid of the cursed seal, but..."

"Cursed seal is Orochimaru's masterpiece. I still have no idea how to undo it completely, or Anko-chan would have had her peace of mind."

"Speaking of Anko, hers has come back."

There was a pause. "Shit. That was my handy work. Goddamn you, Orochimaru." Then there was another pause. "How about this: You unseal your block on the cursed seal. I'll try to reverse the seal as much as I possibly can then we put the block back on top of it. Then I'll unseal the five-part seal."

"Can you put a limit to the extra reserve?"

"The original seal already has a limit on it. It's just that the cursed seal pulls much more than a body of a kid his age normally would. That's Orochimaru's trick. He makes a person feel like they've become more powerful because of him and so they would seek him out for more power. He is a sly bastard like that."

There was another pause before Kakashi spoke up, "Actually, Jiraiya-sama, I have a request on the behalf of my teacher."

The man chuckled. "If you're using you teacher's name, this has to be serious. What is it?"

"Once Naruto has recovered, could you please take him as your student?"

...What?

"Hmmm, I don't know, Kakashi. I haven't had students for a long time," Jiraiya said hesitantly. "Honestly, if it's not for this Orochimaru business, I don't think I want to show up. I like writing novels. That's what I do these days."

"I'm afraid that this has to do with Orochimaru as well."

"What of him?"

"He said Naruto will seek him out if Konoha cannot give him what he wants," Kakashi said. "Naruto is strong, but he has been very frustrated about his progress for quite some time now. I am unable to convince him to ease up."

"So you're thinking of throwing the dog a bone by having him train powerful jutsu with me, hoping he'd be satisfied." He let out a long sigh. There was another pause. "Is he aware that he has-"

"Yes. But he doesn't know how to consciously use it."

Another pause. "I guess I can do that at least," Jiraiya finally said. "The best we can do right now is to teach him to control his extra chakra. He'll be safer from seals like these ones if he knows how to control it of his own free will."

"Naruto has always been a strong-minded individual. I'm sure he will be able to master it," Kakashi replied.

Jiraiya huffed. "If you say so, then," he said. "Before we proceed, though, I think we should let our guest in, shouldn't we?"

Sasuke took a step back from the door like it was on fire. Shit. Shit. Shit. They knew he was here. He had to get out before-

"There's no use escaping, Sasuke. I know it's you," came Kakashi's voice before the door swung open. His carefree manners absolutely gone. This was Kakashi's business face. This was Kakashi the ex-ANBU captain. This was not his teacher.

For a moment, he was sure Kakashi was going to kill him for eavesdropping when Jiraiya came into the doorway. "So you've been tracking me, huh? Fooled me, too," the man said and chuckled, before turning to Kakashi. "This boy is good, Kakashi. Whose student is this?"

"Mine, actually. He's Naruto's teammate," Kakashi replied. His gaze hadn't left Sasuke.

"Well, good for you. He'll make a really good shinobi one day."

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama," his teacher said before focusing on Sasuke again. "You have trespassed into restricted area and possibly obtained classified information several levels above your clearance. According to protocol, I'll have to send you to Ibiki immediately."

Sasuke remembered the man from the first test in the Chuunin Exam and he had to force himself not to shudder. He didn't look away. An Uchiha did not succumb to fear.

"He's got good eyes," muttered Jiraiya like he was appraising a race horse. He pissed Sasuke off.

"I came here because you refuse to tell me anything about what is going on," Sasuke said, his voice steady. "I'm Naruto's teammate. I have the right to know if his life is in danger."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at Kakashi, who did not look impressed. "You are operating under the wrong impression. You don't have any rights here." Sasuke let out a 'Tch', his hands clenched in fists. "The reason the information isn't released to you is because it is not relevant. You have the tournament coming up, so focus on your training."

"How am I supposed to train when you're here?" he countered.

"He has a point, you know, "Jiraiya added.

Kakashi gave the man a long-suffering look before turning back to Sasuke. "All right, then. I will meet you on top of the waterfall north of here in three days time," he said. "I fully expect you to be there... by climbing the rock face from the bottom by hand. My summon will be watching you. Do you understand?"

Sasuke straightened up and gave his teacher a curt nod.

Kakashi nodded back. He seemed satisfied. "And, oh, by the way," he added, "any word of what you've heard, or any leak to where Naruto is, and you'll be taking full responsibility. Got it?"

The look from Kakashi gave Sasuke chills. He nodded, turned, and walked off.

/***/

When Kakashi first thought of urging Sasuke to talk to Naruto, it was because he knew Sasuke could understand Naruto's pain. He didn't anticipate that Sasuke... well, the best way to put it was Sasuke was obsessed.

Kakashi didn't know why he was surprised by this. It was probably because Sasuke had been so obsessed with revenge that it didn't seem possible that he could ever become obsessed with anything else. However, that would be incorrect. His ability to become single-mindedly focused was the underlying quality that made him a genius. Sasuke would master any technique taught to him because he would not stop until he did. In a way, he was more similar to Rock Lee than both the boys might think. Sasuke just had more advantages due to his bloodline.

Currently, Kakashi was worried that the obsessive side would become his student's down fall.

Sasuke was already at their meeting place when Kakashi arrived. He was sweating and panting from practicing taijutsu as Kakashi ordered him to.

"You're late," Sasuke said.

Kakashi did not reply to that comment. "I see that you've been following my order," he said. "You can take a break. I need to talk to you about something before we start."

Sasuke nodded and looked at him expectantly. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure how his student was going to take this.

"Your assignment is revoked. You don't have to try to talk to Naruto anymore."

Sasuke's eyes widen as he shouted "WHAT!?"

"It seems that the assignment has become a distraction. Right now you have to focus on training and getting stronger. Your first opponent is Gaara. You can't afford to lose focus."

Sasuke let out a barely audible 'Tch'. His eyes flickered to the side before he looked back at Kakashi and nodded. The frown on his face probably meant he disagreed but knew he had no other choices but to obey.

"Okay, now that this is out of the way," Kakashi began, "let's start our program, shall we?"

/***/

The hospital was probably in riot. After all he told his clone to release an hour after he left. This was already an hour and Naruto had found the person he was looking for.

"Trust Kakashi-sensei to enlist another pervert for my training," he muttered before jumping quietly up to the roof of a bathhouse. A man with long, spiky white hair was sitting there watching the female pool with a wide smile on his face. Typical. "Hey, old man, peeping really isn't a good hobby, don't you think?"

The guy turned to him with a sour face. "Just be quiet, you little runt. This is not peeping. This is research."

Oh, yeah? "Research my ass, you pervert hermit! And why are we meeting in a place like this anyway."

"Shhh, do you want us to get caught?" he whispered back urgently.

"It's only you who's going to get caught, old man. I'm not the one peeping here-" was all he could say before something hard hit his head. The last thing he saw was a mop of pink hair among the women in the pool.

/***/

After hearing the satisfying bang and watching the blob of orange fall off the roof, Sakura sat down in the pool with a triumphant 'hmph!' while the rest of the women in the pool muttered and shouted about peeping toms. The white haired man on the roof quickly escaped, taking Naruto with him.

Ino whistled loudly before saying, "Impressive shot, girlfriend." She hadn't tightened up her towel the way a lot of girls did when they realized they were watched. Ino had always been very comfortable in her own skin, something Sakura never fully managed.

Sakura just shrugged. "Practice," she said and relaxed back into the warm water.

Ino smirked and said, "Too bad we wouldn't get to see that in the tournament."

"I'll get there next time," said Sakura. She was sure Ino was aiming for the same goal as well. "How about Shikamaru? Is he moaning much about the fact that he had to fight an extra round?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "All the time, sister. Chouji and I will be training with him tomorrow. I'm so not looking forward to it." She sighed. "What about you? Your entire team has disappeared, haven't they?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Sakura replied. Sasuke disappeared with Kakashi to do special training while Naruto was supposed to do the same with another teacher. She was left all alone, like an unwanted child. She wondered if this was what Naruto felt being left behind.

"Hey," Ino said, nudging Sakura's shoulder lightly with hers, "What about you come with me tomorrow for the training."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "And listen to Shikamaru complaining all day? Gosh, no."

"Not for that, stupid. We can leave Shikamaru with Chouji and get some real training done ourselves. Shikamaru is such a slacker anyhow. He'll only drag us down."

The thought of training got her blood pumping again. "Okay! Let's have a relaxing day today and train hard tomorrow then!" she replied. They did a sister fist bump before kicking back and relaxing some more.

If she wasn't assigned to train with someone, she thought, she would get some training herself. Naruto and Sasuke-kun would have to watch out for her next.

/***/

End of Chapter 10

**A/N:** That trick with the coins Sasuke used was stolen from a scene in the Korean movie Cold Eyes, which is a damn good spy/cop movie in my humble opinion. If you can get a hand on it, watch it! :P

**nekomode** Thank you so much. We'll have to see if I can keep this up. I'm of the opinion that sadistic writers write good stories (G.R.R. Martin anyone?), so I'm practicing. *grin widely*

**Emerald Time** I'm quite far ahead in the draft so I can update regularly (for now at least). Oh, no. I don't think the boys wanna know what the girls were talking about. Ignorance is bliss, really.

**Killua17** Cannot say it better myself. I want to hit that duck-butt of his sometimes. But I think Naruto is just as bad when it comes to his pride.

**TacticalDubstep** Thanks! This chapter is pretty mellow, so I hope I didn't set your expectation up too high from the last one.

**SupernaturalHearts** Darkish Naruto is actually really hard to write because his natural disposition just doesn't lend to it as much as Sasuke's. That's sort of why I have to start from the beginning, because otherwise it wouldn't make sense to me. I'm glad it works. I just hope it can keep on working after the time skip.

**Guest** Okay, so I thought it's obvious that there are plenty of people who were given the cursed seal but were not intended to be Orochimaru's vessels. Apparently not. Assuming he marks Naruto with the same reason he marks Sasuke in the canon is one assumption too many. (And let's just admit it, Orochimaru has a type. I think that's pretty obvious.)

**ZyiareHellsing** I think Shikamaru is too smart to get in between them when they were fighting, but he was definitely keeping an eye on them the entire time.


	11. Chapter 11: Face Your Demons

**A/N:** Nothing to warn for this one, and the response to your comments are below. There are some really long ones so sorry about that. (There is a reason I can't use twitter after all.) I really enjoy reading about what you guys think of the characters, the plot, and the speculations because that helps me think too! However, I can't really reply to the speculations with a concrete answer, which is unfortunate because I do want to answer them. I also love the short reviews. It's like getting a warm pat in the back that keeps me going! Thank you!

**Update** 26/07/2015: this chapter had been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 11: Face Your Demons**

A month was a short time for training. Kakashi knew this well. There was a limit to the human capability, Sharingan or no Sharingan, to learn something until the understanding became innate to oneself.

Uchiha Sasuke was different because, Sharingan or no Sharingan, his capability had always been much higher than most. Kakashi could push him for hours at a time, forcing him to build up his stamina and use the utmost of his ability to keep up. Sasuke trained well under pressure. His eyes were getting faster at detecting and predicting movements. His body was also gaining speed at such a fast rate that Kakashi couldn't help but be a little jealous. What they needed to do was close the gap between the two, hopefully within the month.

They camped out near the training ground for that sake, also for the sake of isolating Sasuke from the rest of the competition. Not only was he a potential target of Orochimaru, Gaara of the Sand was not known to be the most stable of shinobi. Right then, Sasuke had nothing on the sand boy.

But it seemed that Gaara was hell-bent on targeting Sasuke regardless. He even showed up on the training ground one fine afternoon. Kakashi was ready to stop the bloodshed, but it appeared that Gaara just wanted a chat. He was, in fact, on a mission to convince Sasuke that they really should try and kill each other off to prove who deserved to live. Kakashi found the reasoning disturbing. Sasuke, wisely, did not respond.

Kakashi had thought that it was because Sasuke was too focused on the training to be bothered, but that night he found the boy lying on his back out in the open, watching the pitch black sky littered with stars. Kakashi could tell that he wasn't asleep by the pattern of his breathing. It was deep, but not slow enough.

"You should be in bed, " said Kakashi as he made his way to the boy and stood at his side. "You'll need your strength tomorrow."

"I can't sleep," said Sasuke. His eyes were still on the sky above. His brows furrowed like he was in thought.

Kakashi sighed. "Don't give Gaara too much thought, Sasuke. You just need to focus on defeating him," he said, knowing that if anything was on Sasuke's mind, it was probably Gaara's twisted logic.

"He said I have the same eyes as his," Sasuke began; "What he was saying is that I am the same as him."

Kakashi was surprised and alarmed in equal measure by Sasuke's line of thought, but he just lifted an eyebrow and said nothing.

Sasuke continued, "I've lived to kill Itachi. I don't care if I have to become a monster to do it." His hand clenched into a fist that was so tight his arm was shaking. "I am going to kill him because he killed my family and my clan. He took the lives of the people I loved. That would have been a simple answer, wouldn't it?"

"You don't need to tell him anything," Kakashi said as he sat down. "There is no need for you to justify yourself to him."

"No. Telling him doesn't mean anything. He won't understand anyway even if he said he was the same as me. It doesn't matter what I could have told him," said the young Uchiha. His voice suddenly became quieter, "I just don't know what I have to do any more."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows at this.

"I still want to kill Itachi. Don't mistake this for me giving up on my goal, Kakashi," Sasuke said. "But I don't know anymore what it means to be truly strong. Knowing all the jutsu? Being able to beat every shinobi in this world? Knowing how to win in every kind of conflict? Would I still be strong if I can't save someone close to me from pain or death?"

Kakashi knew then where this was heading. He had seen the look on Sasuke's face when Naruto was finally moved to the hospital: the warring of anger, frustration, guilt, and self-doubt.

"Naruto being in the hospital wasn't your fault," said Kakashi. He might not have witnessed Naruto's cursed seal acting up, but he knew what had transpired. He knew Sasuke had done his best to calm Naruto down. He was holding him close even when Naruto was clawing on his back until it was torn.

Sasuke turned to him, his eyes bright and angry. "How could you know?" Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "You don't know what I said to him or he said to me. How could you know I didn't trigger the seal by accident?"

"Precisely. Even if you did, it was an accident. You did not want to hurt Naruto and could not have predicted that the seal would become active. You were not at fault," Kakashi replied. Sasuke was breathing harder. "What happened to you family was not your fault, either."

"I know that!" Sasuke snapped.

"But you think that there is an off chance that it might have been your fault, don't you?" Kakashi continued. "You think there might have been something you could have done-"

"Stop it! STOP!" Sasuke yelled. He got up and faced Kakashi, Sharingan blaring from the tide of intense emotion. "It wasn't my fault. It wasn't because I was too weak and too much of a coward. I didn't kill Mother and Father!"

Kakashi watched him calmly, remembering the pain when he found his father's body lying on the floor, remembering how it was to be overcome with guilt for not coming home earlier, remembering how difficult it was to finally understand that the fault wasn't his. "You are right, Sasuke. None of that was your fault. The only person to be blamed for your clan's slaughter is your brother, and only him." He watched carefully as Sasuke looked at him in surprise. "Being weak is not a crime. Hurting others is. It is as simple as that. So you can hate him, Sasuke, but do not hate yourself. You deserve to live on. _I_ will make sure you live on."

The Sharingan slowly faded, but the boy's breaths were still heavy. Sasuke didn't meet his gaze, but Kakashi knew he wasn't crying. Tears of self-pity were for the weak. Sasuke was too strong for that.

He didn't expect Sasuke to ask, "What about Naruto?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"What happened that made his eyes look like that?" Sasuke asked. "What kind of baggage does he carry?"

Kakashi sighed. "If there is anyone that should be carrying that baggage, it isn't him," he replied. Sasuke looked puzzled, but Kakashi didn't let the boy ask any further. He got up. "Time for bed. You have an early start tomorrow."

He could feel the pair of intense black eyes boring a hole into his back as he led the way back to their camp, but Sasuke didn't say anything, as if knowing that Kakashi wasn't willing to share. However, he knew that Sasuke might just be letting him off easy this time.

/***/

Sasuke didn't realize how much his body ached until his back hit the bed again. He got a day off because Kakashi was called to an emergency meeting. The look from his teacher meant that this meeting was supposed to be a secret and so Sasuke could not even imply that Kakashi had duty that day. Sasuke didn't mind much. They had to get more supplies for the camp anyway, so that was as good an explanation as any.

He slept in late, letting his sore body relaxed for the first time in two weeks, before setting out for the grocery store where he accidentally walked into Shikamaru in the fruit aisle.

"Oi, finally back to the Land of the Living?" Shikamaru greeted him as he picked a fruit basket.

"For a day," was Sasuke's reply. The snack bars, soup bars, and painkillers in Sasuke's basket could speak for themselves. "You're going to visit someone?" He nodded towards the fruit basket.

Shikamaru sighed. "Chouji got a stomach ache from overeating," he said, "and Naruto got admitted two days ago from chakra exhaustion."

Sasuke couldn't quite believe his ears. Chakra exhaustion? Naruto? What kind of training did that Jiraiya put him through?

Shikamaru looked at him with a smirk on his face. He must have looked completely dumbfounded. "Unbelievable, isn't it? I'm going to see for myself if that's even true. I bet he's up and running already." Then he walked off. "See you around."

Sasuke took his basket to the cashier right away, not bothering with the few items he still had to get. He didn't bother to put the supplies away properly before darting out of his apartment and heading for the hospital. It was only in front of the main entrance that Sasuke realized how utterly foolish he had been behaving.

He was going to visit Naruto, the person whom his last interaction with was to throw punches and insults and then watched him roll on the floor in agony. The result of their altercation had led to Naruto being withdrawn from the last round of Chuunin Exam. Sasuke knew objectively that it wasn't his fault that the cursed seal acted up, but he also knew that he had contributed to it. His inability to control himself was the reason the conversation blew up and Naruto was taken off the rest of the exam.. What was he going to say when they met? Sorry? Was that even enough?

And in light of that, would his presence cause further complications if Naruto couldn't forgive him? What if he didn't want to see Sasuke ever again?

The last thought caused an unpleasant twinge in his chest. No, their argument was too childish to let it cause that much of an effect. If Naruto was going to be angry with him, so be it, but they had to get this out of the way or the team would fall apart.

So he took a deep breath, counted to ten, and walked in.

The room was quiet as he opened the door. He poked his head in and found it empty except for one bed. Sasuke could see the feet propping up the blanket sticking out from the partition. He closed the door behind him and walked over quietly. He only realized that he was holding his breath when Naruto's limp form came into view. He was sleeping. Their confrontation was not going to happen today.

Sasuke took a quick look at Naruto's chart, as squiggly as the writing was, and the only thing that was written on there was the time and date of admission and that he had been unconscious. Naruto, unconscious from chakra exhaustion for almost three days. Nothing was written of what might have been the cause.

His lips pressed into a thin line as he moved up the bed. He pulled the blanket down a few inches and pulled back the collar of Naruto's t-shirt to expose the nap of his neck. The seal was still there, encircled by a ring of black scripts that felt like chakra-enhanced ink under Sasuke's fingers. Otherwise, the seal didn't look any different from before and that left him uneasy. He wondered if the seal acted up again and that was why Naruto was in the hospital for so long. Did Naruto burn his chakra pathways?

He pulled his hand back when he heard the door creak open. Shikamaru poked his head in, saw him, and said, "So you're here."

Sasuke just looked at him like he was an imbecile for stating the obvious.

Shikamaru wasn't fazed. "I won't interrupt you for long. They're going to serve food soon, and Chouji has been unbearable about hospital food, so I was thinking of sitting it out here. I can do it somewhere else."

"You can come in. I'm leaving anyway," Sasuke said. He pulled the blanket back to up the blond boy's chin and tried to walk as coolly as possible to the door.

Shikamaru said, "You don't have to go, you know. They said he'll wake up any moment now. He'll be thrilled to see you here."

Sasuke wanted to believe that, but their last argument was still on his mind. "I doubt it," he said. "Besides, I have things to prepare before getting back to training."

Shikamaru sighed. "Sure," he said as he walked over and took a seat beside Naruto's bed, fruit basket in hand. "I don't envy you. Seriously, that Gaara is a monster. I'd forfeit if I had to fight him."

Sasuke realized then that despite them working well together, Shikamaru really was very different from him. Shikamaru wouldn't do any extra work if he could get away with it. Sasuke would do everything straight up and then some. Shikamaru didn't seem motivated to be the strongest or the smartest or the best at anything. Sasuke had been chasing the number one spot since he first mastered his chakra.

"Can I ask you something?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and said, "That's uncommon. What's up?"

"What is your dream?" he asked. "What do you live for?"

Shikamaru seemed surprised by this. He blinked. "Well, I just want a simple life. I was going to be a so-so ninja and earn an okay salary, marry a regular girl and have two kids, a boy and a girl, then I'll retire when my kids become independent and play shogi in my relaxing retirement." He shrugged. "That's all, really."

"That's... oddly specific," replied Sasuke, and deceptively simple.

"You think so? Those are just the things I want to wake up to everyday, that's all. I found that it's better to have a mental image in mind of what the goal will really look like instead of the one-line thing people typically tell themselves. It gives you more motivation."

Sasuke snorted at this. If this was a motivated Shikamaru, he didn't want to see the other one.

"That's why just winning in a fight doesn't count much to me," Shikamaru continued. "To you and Naruto, winning means everything."

The tone Shikamaru used was odd, like he was chiding both Naruto and Sasuke in a rather laid back way. Sasuke just looked at him as he digested what Shikamaru just said.

"Don't win the battle and lose the war, that's all I'm saying," said Shikamaru as he pulled out a book from his pocket. "I don't mind if you change your mind and stay, but I'm gonna read now."

"No, I'm leaving," said Sasuke. This time he made it to the door. "Thanks for staying with Naruto."

Shikamaru just waved, his eyes never leaving the book, so Sasuke took the cue and closed the door behind him. He spent that evening as he waited for Kakashi meditating in the clearing . Even as the moon came up and the sky turned pitch black, he still couldn't come up with a mental image of the future he wanted.

/***/

When she walked into the arena for the last round of the Chuunin Exam, Sakura didn't quite know what to feel.

When she'd first applied for the exam, she'd honestly not thought she was ready for the challenge, so she didn't set herself up with any hope of passing. Now that she had completed the first two stages, she was ridiculously disappointed that she didn't get to be in the last round.

Ino, though, thought it was for the best. How would she fight monsters like Neji and Gaara if the insanely talented Rock Lee couldn't. She would just be dead or, worse still, publicly humiliated. Sakura agreed, although it by no means meant that she was happy with her current situation.

And then there was Naruto.

She was toying with the idea of asking him to come to the tournament with her and Ino, but she didn't know how he would react. Naruto never did anything without the hope of accomplishing the task. She knew he wanted to pass. Naruto having to withdraw due to a complication that was hardly his own fault was heartbreaking. In the end, she didn't ask him, blaming it on the fact that he wasn't around much for the past month.

But Naruto did come to the arena. He seemed cheery as he greeted them and then ran to the front and shouted a good luck to Shikamaru, causing everybody to give him stink eyes. Sakura and Ino sighed. Naruto really was energetic.

She watched him as he walked back to her with a frown on his face. She was about to ask what was going on when he said, "Where's Sasuke? Isn't the tournament about to start?"

"I don't know," replied Sakura. He was not the type for tardiness, though. "I'm sure it's Kakashi-sensei who's holding him back. He'll be here shortly."

She wasn't entirely sure if she was comforting him or herself. There were only five matches scheduled for the first round, but two competitors already withdrew. There wasn't much of a margin for Sasuke-kun to be late. Naruto must have seen her nervousness, too, because he smiled a little and said, "You're right like always, Sakura-chan. He'll be here in no time. I better get to my seat then." Then he ran up the arena to the back where he sat alone in a corner. Sakura felt immensely guilty about it.

Hyuuga Neji won the first round like they knew he would, but only by a small margin. As it turned out Inuzuka Kiba with a vengeance was a formidable fighter. It seemed that he took Neji's mental and physical attacks on Hinata in the prelim rather personally. Neji even asked once why Kiba cared so much, which prompted Kiba to launch into a monologue about family, acceptance, growth, and a proclamation that sounded dangerously like a love confession, in front of Hinata's father no less. Neji in turn told him about the Hyuuga and pretty much aired all the dirty laundry of his clan to the world.

It was painful to watch this tournament, something that should have been rather clean cut and impersonal, turned into something so private and emotional. Watching Kiba fall unconscious afterward even as he tried to prove Neji wrong was the worst. She spotted Hinata coughing out blood as the medic team took the dog boy away, but the announcement of the next round pretty much distracted her.

It was supposed to be Gaara versus Sasuke next, but Sasuke was nowhere to be found. For a moment she thought he might get disqualified. A part of her was a little relieved if she was to be honest with herself. If Sasuke was disqualified, he didn't have to face Gaara who, she knew from watching his fight with Rock Lee, was ruthless enough that he would kill his opponent rather than subdue them.

But they moved his matched back, something that was odd considering the small tolerance for tardiness in the entire exam process. Kankuro forfeited even before he fought Shino, which was also odd. Then Temari and Shikamaru took the stage.

In hindsight, she should have taken her 'something was off' feeling more seriously, but Sasuke's lateness distracted her enough that she only realized her mistake when the genjutsu set in.

Practicing with Naruto and Sasuke helped her dispelled it immediately. The arena turned into a battlefield as squads of Sound and Sand shinobi started their attack. Sakura quickly ducked down behind the seat, pulling Ino with her, who was less fortunate with the genjutsu. At least on the ground Ino would be safe until the battle was over.

When she peeked up again, she spotted Naruto coming down the stairs towards her with an occasional dash to the side to hide. The enemy didn't seemed to care that he was there since they were all engaged with Leaf's jounin. She quickly waved at him at one point before ducking again because Kakashi-sensei needed to smash the skulls of two more enemies in close proximity to her face.

"I have an A-rank mission for you," Kakashi told her when the wave of attacks died down. "I want you to take Naruto and Sasuke out of here."

Sakura's eyes widen. "Why is that an A-rank mission?" she asked frantically as Kakashi spilled more blood.

"No time to explain in detail right now, but there is someone here who wants Naruto and possibly Sasuke and he must not get to them. You have to protect them."

"But, but if he's strong, I won't be able to do that!" she shouted over the sound of the fights going on around her. She looked down from the arena and realized that Sasuke-kun and the sand siblings were gone. "Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke's gone!"

It was then that Naruto showed up crawling between the seats. Kakashi spotted him and nodded. "Good to see you, Naruto. Now, a little change of plan, Sakura. Take Shikamaru and Naruto and track down Sasuke," he said.

"But how?" asked Naruto. "The Bastard followed Gaara right after the attack started. He's far away by now."

Kakashi quickly performed a summoning and before them was a pug, looking at them both with a slightly bored expression. "I'll track down Sasuke," said the dog, who introduced himself as Pakkun. They quickly located Shikamaru in the observation deck and got him out of playing possum. Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei helped deflect the attack of the Sound ninja in the arena and created an escape for them in the form of a literal hole in the wall.

"Now to reinstate the mission," said Kakashi, "I want you four to track down Sasuke and take him with you to a safe location, a hideout on the Hokage mountain, and stay there. Got it?"

"Got it," said Pakkun. "Take care, ol' boy."

"Duly noted," said Kakashi before he jumped into battle as the four of them escaped.

Pakkun led the three of them away from the arena and down the winding streets littered with bombs, blood, and bodies. She didn't have time to be afraid or to even let all this sink in. She just kept running along with Naruto and Shikamaru. Shikamaru wasn't much of a motivator, but Naruto had the look of determination in his eyes that kept her grounded. He was a target himself but he didn't falter. She wasn't sure if he knew this or if it was news to him too, but Naruto didn't seem to let it get in the way of the mission. Sakura knew she couldn't either. If they were going to be safe, they had to focus on the task and get out of the place.

They were, as expected, pursued. Shikamaru broke away from the team first to create a diversion. Sakura knew he was a genius in his own right, but this was the first time she was allowed into his thought process. She couldn't be more marveled, but again she didn't have time. They just kept on speeding after Pakkun as he led them in Sasuke's direction.

She had expected Sasuke to confront Gaara. What she hadn't expect was the literal monster Gaara had become. Half of his body had turned into a vile creature with a tail and extendable arms made of sand. His quiet demeanor had become confrontational and psychotic. He sent chills down her spine.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto's voice shook her out of her head. He didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed at Gaara as he said, "Sasuke."

Her gaze shifted to Sasuke-kun then. He'd collapsed on a branch, his left arm shaking out of control. She automatically went for him. Naruto landed between Sasuke and Gaara, effectively shielding them from further attack. Sasuke was conscious but in considerable pain. She pressed her lips together as she watched electric shock running up and down his arm. He'd obviously forced himself to use Chidori at his limit and the jutsu went wrong.

"Get going already," Naruto yelled at her, although he never looked their way. "I'll guard your back."

"No!" Sakura countered. "The order is to take the two of you to safety. You have to come with us, Naruto."

"Seriously not possible right now, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura was about to argue with him when Gaara suddenly charged forward, not at Naruto but towards her. Sakura, on instinct, pulled out her kunai and threw herself on top of Sasuke. She knew she wouldn't be able to seriously hurt Gaara with this even if she tried, but she would protect her friend. She really didn't think about the possibility of death at all until the hit sent her flying onto a nearby tree, knocking the air out of her lungs. Gaara's monstrous hand pinned her there as he towered over Sasuke, who was still too hurt to move.

She wanted to break free, but the pain of being slammed into the tree was too much. The grip was so tight she couldn't breathe. She knew she was going to lose consciousness soon even as she tried to dig her kunai into the monster's hand. It wouldn't work - she knew this - but she tried anyway, because both Naruto and Sasuke were precious to her. She wanted to protect them. She needed to protect them.

That was her last thought as her hand lost its grip on the weapon and the world turned black.

/***/

End of Chapter 11

**A/N:** And now the response to your comments.

**Kamui5 jmtothemusic ZyiareHellsing **Thank you! Please come back for more!

**Chubby-King-Chocobo** Thank you! Yeah, I agree with you that Naruto would still attracts people to him because he still has this great capability to care, but how is he going to use it is another story altogether (and I don't really know the full length of this yet. We'll have to see).

**Guest** If I remember correctly, Orochimaru wants Sasuke because of his bloodline limit, so, honestly, if Orochimaru had his way, he would have marked them both. (And if anybody wants to write the story where they both got marked, I'd _love_ to read it. *Blatant sale of plot bunny* Ahem.) The reason it doesn't happen here is mainly because of timing. I actually have a gripe about how Sasuke got the cursed seal in the canon. He is supposed to be fast. He is supposed to be smart. Why the *bleep* does he stand around waiting for the fire on Orochimaru's face to die down when he knew that he was in no way strong enough to beat the guy? The timing seems forced in a way that would let Orochimaru get Sasuke when, honestly, there are a vast number of things that could have happened in that time and a vast number of consequences that could have followed. My version, I think, is one of those conceivable scenarios if Sasuke doesn't suddenly turn into stone and if Naruto was screaming in the background. And not marking Sasuke does not mean Orochimaru is not interested anymore. He just has a bigger fish to fry at the moment.

I could go on in detail as to why everything in the scene happens the way it did, but I don't think I should because it would seem too deliberate (actually that last couple of paragraphs more or less fell onto my lap; there was no deliberate thinking involved), and imposing too much of my logic on a scene that can have multiple interpretations. There are conceivable ways of making Sasuke getting the seal without the pause, but this one seems more natural to me given the circumstances, so I'm going with it. That's all

**TacitcalDubstep** I can guarantee that there is something up to chapter 35. So it's not going to get abandoned before then. No promise after that yet, but if I run into problems, I'll let you guys know beforehand. Sounds fair?

**Guest **My impression of Sasuke is that he is more cerebral than Naruto, so the change is more internal rather than external, which is so _damn_ hard to write at times. So I'm glad there is actually some detectable changes. Whether he listen to Kakashi or not, the thing about change is that it is not necessarily going to lead to good things, right? Sasuke still has his baggage (*cough* Itachi *cough*) which is something Naruto in the canon doesn't have, so it's going to be complicated. And that's as much as I can say on this topic for now. And, yeah, the post-time skips story is killing me because things have been changed so much it's impossible to follow the canon anymore and I have to make up a lot of things on the way. I hope I can keep the quality of the writing at least at a decent level. Thank you for your faith in me. That really means a lot.

**Killua17** I think Sasuke sees the connection. He is just in denial about what he wants to do with it which *sigh* is such a drag to the writer, honestly.


	12. Chapter 12: Dance With The Devil

**A/N:** This chapter is pretty short and are mostly just fight scenes. So standard warning for violence. The next chapter will more than compensate for the length of this one.

Also, I've changed the fight between Gaara and Naruto from the canon quite a lot because I wanted the scene to be as grounded in the characters as possible and giant monsters simply don't do it for me. If you were expecting that, sorry.

**Update 22/08/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 12: Dance With The Devil**

Naruto saw red the moment the kunai fell from Sakura's hand and her head rolled to the side. He jumped from the tree with a loud cry as he aimed several shuriken at Gaara's head. He could feel the chakra pumping in his arms, powering the shuriken like he never could have done otherwise. All of them hit the sand defence, of course, but that was also what Naruto wanted. He quickly grabbed the hard sand wall and threw himself over Gaara's head, dropping down on the other side and swinging his elbow to the redhead's face. His speed still wasn't enough to beat the sand and he was sent flying into a nearby tree.

He just barely heard Pakkun over the sound of his ears ringing from the impact. The damn dog was jabbing away, but Naruto couldn't make out what he was saying. He didn't even try to. His field of vision narrowed to where Sasuke was lying, barely conscious and in pain, under Gaara's shadow. Gaara's eyes, however, were on Naruto. Naruto smirked and lunged forward. His hands flew into the familiar hand sign and dozens of shadow clones appeared beside him. There was no way the sand could protect Gaara from all the attacks at once.

But as soon as they swarmed Gaara, they were all blasted off when he transformed even further. Sand shuriken went flying. One of his clones barely got a chance to hide Sasuke away before it got hit and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"You have good eyes," Gaara - no, the monster - told him. His body was almost covered entirely in sand and his voice was something between a man's and a beast's. There was barely a sign of a human in there anymore. "So much hate and pain. Why is that I have not seen this in you before? What are these two to you?"

Naruto got up again. His body was aching all over, but he still tried to stand. "They are my comrades," he replied. "I will _destroy you_ if you hurt them! So release Sakura and let Sasuke go! Your playmate is here, you psycho!"

At that he called upon the Kyuubi's chakra, remembering the burn of fire in his veins as he pulled on the reserve he normally would not. The cursed seal ached; it was on the verge of reacting, but he didn't care. He needed to grab Gaara's attention and he wasn't going to let something as puny as that stop him.

The monster's eyes turned manic. A grin was on its face as it gazed at him in delight. "That chakra... Finally, a worthy opponent!" he sneered as he lunged forward. Naruto did the same. He went straight for Gaara, flipping over him in the last second and landing with an explosive tag in hand. He just had time to slap it beneath the tail before he was sent flying by a well-place blow. The attack was strong enough that he was just out of range when the tag went off. Naruto didn't wait to see how much damage he had caused. He prepared the seal and, as soon as his feet hit a tree, took cover and summoned forth a toad.

It was about the size of a plate.

"Fuck," Naruto swore under his breath. He didn't have enough chakra. He was holding back too much because of the stupid cursed seal.

"Hey now, no need to be rude," said the toad. "Look at this, I got summoned by an insolent kid."

"You just messed up my plan. I don't have time to argue here," he told the toad, but didn't take his eyes off Gaara. He wasn't moving; the sand body was damaged, but Naruto hadn't spilled any blood or caused him any real damage either.

"Oi, what is that?" asked the toad, spotting Gaara. "What _the hell_ is that!?"

"Hell if I know," Naruto said. He shifted his gaze to Sakura, still trapped on the tree. Pakkun was with her, but he couldn't do anything about the claw. "I have two friends and a nin dog who are trapped here. I need help getting them out. Please tell me you can do something about it."

"Err, no," said the toad. "You see, I'm still a kid, so I can't fight or anything."

"Thought so, damn it," Naruto muttered. He had to think something up soon before Gaara moved again.

"Where are you?" growled Gaara, his sand body almost fully restored. "Are you afraid of me now? Is that all you can do?" Then he laughed.

Naruto wanted to punch Gaara in the face, but he knew he couldn't do that, not with the ability he had at the moment. He had to get faster and stronger. But he had very limited options. He wasn't as fast or as good in taijutsu as Lee and Sasuke. All he had was power. Jiraiya said that he could use it to his advantage, but the cursed seal was in the way. If he let it out now...

"Hey," he turned to the toad. "Is there a way that you could, I don't know, knock my friends out?"

The toad looked at him in surprise. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked.

"Because..." Naruto felt his throat closed up. "Because I can't beat him while they are watching. Actually, I don't want you to get involved either, and I'm really sorry about that, but I really need your help. Please tell me there's something you can do about it."

It might have been the tone of his voice, but the toad looked sad. Naruto was desperate. He couldn't let them see him like that again. He couldn't.

"What are you afraid of?" asked the toad.

Naruto let out a ragged breath and dropped his head. He couldn't answer. What could he tell this toad that would convey the feeling of looking Sakura in the eyes and just knowing she was afraid of him, of the monster that he was? How could he know if Sasuke wasn't disgusted by what he became? Could he unload those things on an innocent young thing like this baby toad? He couldn't. He just couldn't.

"Oi."

That voice shook Naruto out of his trance, although it was far away and not directed at him. There on a branch was Sasuke, standing with his back against the tree trunk but still managing to look like he owned the world. He was talking to Gaara.

_No. Stop, you idiot! What are you-_

"Stop pestering Naruto. You wanted to fight me, didn't you?"

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I'm so going to beat you to mush after this, Sasuke!_

"Indeed, Uchiha," replied the monster, "but that was before I got to see that look in his eyes. I have not seen such a monster in a while."

Sasuke's brows twitched. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Naruto stared at him blankly.

"Naruto was the class's dead-last. The only thing he was good at in school was pranks. He's the worst at following orders. He might be alone like you and I, but he is _not_ a monster."

"Oh," Gaara muttered. "You haven't truly seen him then. That is all right. I will _show_ him to you."

Sasuke's reply was, "I've seen him more than you ever did. Don't talk about him like you know him!"

"But do _you_ truly know him, Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke let out a 'Tch' and went into a fighting stance. He could only hold it for three seconds before falling on his knees. Gaara laughed as he lunged forwards with his monstrous arm swinging, and Naruto was up on his feet. Time seemed to slow as he raced towards Sasuke. He didn't have a plan, not a single idea what to do. The only thing he knew then was that he could not let Sasuke die. He would not be able to live through that again.

He managed to hit the monster's arm hard enough that Gaara fell sideways off his landing, breaking branches below with enough force to shake the forest. Naruto barely had time to twist and land on his feet, breaking the bark of a tree, before he could find a place to stand. When he looked down, the monster was there among the debris, looking up at him, grinning at him.

Naruto felt the ache on the side of his neck, but he paid it no mind. He heard Sasuke saying something from behind him, but nothing came through except the ringing in his ears. His mind was clear. He needed to finish Gaara off or his friends would die. It wasn't hard for Naruto to choose.

"Come," Gaara called to him in his half-beast voice. Naruto eagerly responded. He jumped and Gaara did the same. Time slowed again and he was able to slip past Gaara's arm. He ducked and, with two kunai in hand, cut deep wounds into Gaara's legs before grabbing one and spinning, throwing the beast to the ground. His body shot up from the force of that throw, and he used it to reach a branch before breaking it to pieces, sending the shards raining down on the monster below. He knew it wasn't much of an attack to Gaara, but it was enough of a distraction that Naruto could send shadow clones down with all the explosive tags he had. He rained more shards on Gaara to be sure that he was properly distracted before the clones got under the sand shield and triggered all the tags.

The force of the explosion was enough to shake the ground beneath them, but Naruto knew it wouldn't kill Gaara, not with his sand armor. He had to wait for the smoke to clear to see how much damage he'd caused. But before he could make out more than a silhouette of the monster, sand shuriken came out of the smoke and hit him hard. One of them launched a small sharp object into his side. Glass. So his plan backfired a little, but he gritted his teeth and moved in.

He had to end it now. His muscles were aching from moving at a such a high speed and he knew he couldn't keep it up for much longer. He charged down full force at the silhouette, betting that Gaara was too injured to move. Naruto didn't have any weapon left, so he went in with his fist aiming at Gaara's human face, finally freed of the sand armor. His fist made contact without the sand intervening and he could feel his hand breaking through thin layers of sand and glass until it made contact with the actual flesh. He could feel the impact of the jaw bone on his knuckles that was sure to break his hand, but he didn't flinch. He was numb to pain by then. He used his other hand to grab Gaara's shoulder as he pulled his fist back for another punch. This time the sand caught him before he could deliver the blow, but just barely, so he switched tactics and head-butted him instead.

Gaara staggered back from the force against his face. Blood was pouring down his nose from the impact and the sand began to fall. Gaara was at the last of his strength, but so was Naruto. Without the sand holding him up, he wobbled and fell at about the same time Gaara did.

"Why," Gaara asked. His voice was human again. "Why fight for the cowards who are afraid of you? Why do they matter?"

Naruto could see the sadness in Gaara's eyes. The eyes that knew loss. The eyes that knew betrayal. The eyes that knew so much hurt that he needed to hurt others.

The eyes like his.

"Because without them, I'd be alone," he said. "The pain of loneliness is too much. I don't want to go back there again."

In Gaara's eyes was comprehension but also fear. "They will betray you one day, once they truly comprehend the monster that you are."

Naruto knew what he meant, could feel it in his bones. "They won't," he muttered, willing every bit of his heart to believe what he said.

Gaara looked at him with something akin to pity. It was the most human look Naruto had seen on his face. "They can never love you," he said with the voice that was too grim to be just an observation, and Naruto knew immediately that Gaara warned him because it had happened to him. It could happen to Naruto.

"It's okay," said Naruto, although his voice betrayed how much it hurt him to think that. "They acknowledge me. That's enough."

Gaara's eyes softened and Naruto knew he understood. He reached out his hand and Naruto, by instinct, dragged his beaten body closer trying to reach for him. Gaara was his enemy, but he was the only other person who understood this pain, the pain he couldn't share with anyone, the pain that only ran deeper from the moment Iruka-sensei died.

Naruto had to stop when he couldn't move anymore. His hand was just a few inches away from Gaara, and he cursed himself quietly for not being able to cross that small distance as his vision turned to black.

/***/

"They can never love you."

"It's okay... They acknowledge me. That's enough."

Sasuke stopped in his tracks at the sound of Gaara's voice: human, tired, and lonely. His heart sank as he heard an equally melancholic reply from Naruto. He wanted to reach them right then, but his body was threatening to fall over every other step. Breaking Sakura's fall proved too much for the current state of his body that he could barely walk anymore.

Even so, he tried. Sasuke staggered forward into the clearing that was caused by the blast. Naruto had already passed out, one hand stretching to Gaara and Gaara to him, a gesture that seemed odd considering they were about to kill each other just moments before. But Sasuke didn't stop to ponder the act too deeply. He got down on his knees as soon as he reached Naruto and tried to shake the blond boy awake. Naruto didn't responded. His skin felt increasingly warm, so Sasuke rolled him over on his back and pull his open jacket back to check the seal. It was active when Naruto stopped Gaara's attack on him, but it had retreated to his shoulder, although it was larger now, the tendrils penetrating the barrier around it.

Naruto whimpered as Sasuke ran his fingers on the pattern. His body was burning up, and, on instinct, Sasuke ran his hand through Naruto's hair in an attempt to calm him down. He didn't care at that point if Gaara or the Sand siblings were watching. He just wanted to wipe the frown from Naruto's face and ease the onset of torment that was sure to come.

When he looked up, Gaara was watching him intensely. A lesser man would have flinched, but Sasuke just stared back ,unmoved by the redheaded boy. He noticed the wounds on Gaara's legs closing up in front of him and he looked down and saw that Naruto's wounds were doing the same thing.

"What is he to you?" Gaara asked.

Comrade? Friend? Brother? None of that felt right for Sasuke. Naruto was all that, but he didn't fit into a single word neatly. They competed like brothers. They worked together as comrades. They cared about each other as friends. But they could never, ever get along so well. They were like enemies sometimes. Words, it seemed, were inadequate for describing whatever it was that Sasuke saw in Naruto and Naruto saw in Sasuke.

So he said, "He's dear to me."

Gaara looked at him in dismay. "So is that why," he asked hesitantly, "there is that glint of light in your eyes?"

Sasuke was about to ask what he meant when Temari and Kankuro showed up. Kankuro looked roughed, but he still helped Temari with carrying Gaara. The boy was too exhausted to even move, but he looked back and forth between them like he didn't expect them to really come.

"We'll be heading out," said Temari. "You are in no condition to pursue us any further, Uchiha."

Sasuke didn't like being reminded of that very much. "Get lost," he said. "I have more important things to worry about right now."

Kankuro looked at Sasuke and nodded. "Let's go, Temari," he said. The three of them disappeared.

With their presence gone, Sasuke's mind was back to Naruto again. The seal still wasn't completely dormant yet. It was even moving, changing shapes, but fortunately not expanding. Sasuke wanted to take him to Kakashi, but knew that he wouldn't be able to walk that far on his own, let alone carrying Naruto with him. He had to wait for help and he hated that fact intensely.

He pulled out his water canteen and started to wet a cloth when he heard the sound of something approaching them. Sasuke turned and saw a toad watching him.

"Hi, I'm Gamakichi," said the toad as it approached him. "That boy over there summoned me."

Sasuke scowled. Since when did Naruto know summoning jutsu? "I don't suppose you could give us a lift, could you?" Sasuke asked. It was obvious, but he wanted to know just in case.

"No, or else I would have taken you lots to safety like he wanted me to," replied Gamakichi. "But I can get you more water. There's a small stream close by."

Sasuke might be reluctant, but he didn't have a choice. He handed over the almost empty canteen to the toad before turning back to Naruto. He dabbed the wet cloth on the blond boy's face, hoping against hope that his action meant something.

/***/

End of Chapter 12

**A/N: **And now for the reply time!

**wierdsquirrelgirl** You just hit the nail on the head right there! Personally, I don't think Kakashi is capable of understanding that. And I don't think Orochimaru is a pedophile. I don't think he wants sex at all actually, but to me that twist in his head makes him far creepier than that. Also, kudos for the milkshake mental image. Yeah, that's...super creepy actually. *cringe*

**nekomode** Oh, my pleasure! *grin* Seriously, nothing feeds a sadistic writer like a reaction like this. (And, no, I did not just hear what you said in the brackets. Nope. Nothing.)

**Mamori-sama** Great to hear that you don't think it's a drag to actually build everything up from scratch. (Quick build up is a put-off for me, too.) I mean, they are thirteen now in the story. They are not going to be mature enough, sexually and emotionally, for a romantic relationship for a couple more years. I was worried it might bore people out of their minds. Thank you for letting me know it's not boring!

**Reign Of Sorrow** Thanks so much for giving me your reaction to almost every chapters. Yeah, I totally understand your feeling about stupid Naruto. Kishimoto clearly didn't intend for him to be stupid, just not the conventional smart. He is actually pretty clever up until about his fight with Gaara when the collective intelligence of the series begins to slide. And I don't mean to diss Kishimoto on this. Writing and drawing for a weekly magazine is extremely stressful, so I get it. But I'm firm on the belief that smart Naruto is what Kishimoto intended, so I'm going with that. I don't remember what Goku was like in the beginning (that was so long ago, gosh) so it might be the same thing?

**Guest** I can't make any promise about Uzushiogakure, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the suggestion.

**Killua17** Itachi's coming. (*Whisper in the same tone as a Stark talks about winter*)

**ougley** Don't worry. You're not the only one.


	13. Chapter 13: Gentle Rain

**A/N:** This is probably one of the longest chapter I've written so far, and, no, Itachi is not here yet, so everyone can come out from hiding...for now

Warning for (accidental) underage drinking.

**Update 23/08/2015:** This chapter has been cleaned up and shaped up by Ashimodo. Hands to the man.

**Chapter 13: Gentle Rain**

The invasion by Sound and Sand was foiled. Konoha was saved.

But the Sandaime Hokage was dead.

There was a downpour on the day of the funeral, but no one cared enough to let it stop them from attending, especially the shinobi, although not all of them were there on time.

Kakashi didn't want to be on time because it meant he needed to socialize, and he didn't want to, not on an occasion like this. Kakashi was never good with words. He could do insulting. He could do taunting. He could analyze things at great length. What he could not do was give condolences. He was given many in his life, but he'd never found them helpful and therefore never learned to reciprocate in kind.

That was why he was at the Stone Memorial rather than the funeral when it started. The company of the dead was good for a day like this.

"So why are you here, Jiraiya-sama?" he asked. He had yet to move from the Memorial or look around, but the presence of the man was too palpable to miss.

"Reminiscing," replied the toad-nin, "about things that people your age probably don't know about the Third."

Kakashi smirked.

"And I will be heading out soon," continued Jiraiya. "I don't want to get bugged by the Council. They wouldn't let me go otherwise."

"I can't blame them. We're in somewhat of a crisis. A shinobi as powerful or as recognized as the Fourth doesn't exist right now, except you. You're the Fourth's teacher after all."

"Nonsense," Jiraiya drawled. "That boy was in a league of his own. And you know what I think about this whole shinobi business. That's why I have to head out before the Council tries to make me Hokage."

Kakashi inclined his head. He was a fan of Jiraiya's books after all. He knew very well the man's view about a lot of things. "I don't think that is going to be easy, Jiraiya-sama, given they don't have a choice."

"But they do," Jiraiya replied, "if I can get them Tsunade, that is."

Kakashi didn't want to discourage him, but considering Tsunade-hime's reputation, Kakashi wouldn't bet on her ever being found.

/***/

Naruto was in the fifth row with other genin when Asuma-sensei called him forward from the crowd. Apparently the Third had written into his will that Naruto was to stand in the front row next to his grandson Konohamaru at his funeral. Naruto had never felt so many pairs of eyes watching him as he moved passed the jounin and the Hyuuga clan. In other circumstances, he would have loved it. This wasn't one of those occasions.

The first row was for family members or ones that were recognized as such. He and the Third met regularly, but only because he was such a nuisance to the rest of the village. They shouted at each other when Naruto's pranks went too far, but it always ended with Naruto spending the evening organizing the scrolls in the Hokage's office and listening to the old man telling him stories.

Naruto realized after Iruka-sensei's death how much the Third had done for him. Being the vessel of the Nine-tails meant he could have been locked away for life, yet the old man insisted that he have the same freedom as everyone else, that he attend the Academy and became a ninja. It was the Third who personally assigned Naruto to Iruka-sensei knowing that somehow they would get along and Naruto would be able to learn from a teacher who could really, truly, see him.

That _thing_ inside Naruto threatened the lives of the people he loved, of the village he loved, but he was still able to look at Naruto and see _him_, not the thing inside him. He even saw Naruto as family. Naruto had to bite his lips the entire procession to keep from sobbing. The old man wouldn't want that, would he?

For Naruto, losing Sarutobi Hiruzen was like losing a grandfather, the man Naruto had trusted implicitly for as long as he could remember. A part of Naruto was boiling with rage at whoever did this. He didn't get to see how the Third died. He didn't even get to see his body. He just woke up in the hospital and was told by Kakashi-sensei that the old man was dead. Naruto had demanded to know everything and learned as much as he could from people who saw the fight. The name Orochimaru came up over and over again during those tales, and over and over again Naruto repeated that name before he went to sleep. In his dreams, he killed this Orochimaru over and over until he was satisfied that the rage was edged so deep into his mind that he would never forget it.

When he and Orochimaru met, he would make sure to kill him for real.

/***/

Sasuke was surprised when Naruto was called to the front.

As the only member of the Uchiha, he was reserved a spot on the second row next to the Hyuuga, a remnant of the Uchiha's past glory. It made his stomach churn with the rage he had for Itachi, the man who single-handedly destroyed everything of the Uchiha clan. The man who tried to destroy him.

Sasuke had spent the past five years making sure it didn't work. He grieved and raged until nothing but the simmering hate burned under the surface, but he made sure he thrived. Sasuke was going to kill Itachi, was going to tear him limb from limb for everything he did. There wouldn't be a funeral like this for Itachi because Sasuke was going to burn him until nothing was left of the man that was his brother.

Yet, a small part of Sasuke's mind also asked if there would be any funeral like this for himself.

To be honest, he hadn't thought about it. He had never thought past the part of killing Itachi and burning his body. He realized during the procession that maybe he wasn't able to undo Itachi's work after all, that maybe his brother, while he did not kill him, still won in the end. To say Sasuke was angry would be an understatement. He was going to kill Itachi, but he also didn't want Itachi be the last thing people remembered about the Uchiha. He wanted to rebuild his clan to its former glory, and to do so he needed to rebuild himself first.

He looked up at the Hokage's monument and for the first time in many years he could see somewhat of his own future. It wasn't clear yet. It was more or less just a statement, but for the first time Sasuke thought he might really be getting onto something.

He wanted to be Hokage.

/***/

Sakura, being in the fifth row, didn't get to see much of the procession.

She was surprised if not a little disappointed that both of her teammates got to stand in the first two rows. She felt bad for making this funeral about her when it wasn't, but she couldn't help feeling a little pang of sadness and frustration. It was always like this. Naruto and Sasuke-kun would always be in front, chasing after each other, while she was in the back, always protected but also occasionally forgotten.

She wondered if this was how Naruto felt back when he really was the last in everything. Despite Sasuke's insistence on calling Naruto dead-last, Naruto had in fact become one of the most powerful genin in Konoha. Sakura had watched him fight, had feared his raw and savage power. At the same time, she noticed that Naruto's attitude towards her had also changed. Once flirting shamelessly with her, he had become tentative. He had always protected her and asked after her well-being even when he was injured. Sasuke was also doing the same thing but in his slightly condescending way. They were hovering over every little thing she did and it was beginning to frustrate her.

Sakura still loved them both, of course. They were her teammates, but she knew she needed to do something soon or she would blow up right in their faces, and the consequences wouldn't be pretty.

As if the heavens grieved with Konoha, the rain that came with the funeral stopped when it ended. Team Seven parted ways at the end of the procession only to reconvene without any prior agreement on the familiar training ground.

Sakura scowled at her teammates as they approached her from opposite directs. "Shouldn't you two be resting?" she asked, remembering that to be the doctor's order.

Sasuke-kun lifted an eyebrow. "The same could be said about you, Sakura," he said. Sakura blushed slightly from embarrassment. The doctor did tell her that. She was, after all, slammed into a tree, but aside from a concussion there wasn't anything wrong with her. She didn't even get to use her chakra.

"It was just a scratch," she said defensively; "_I_ am not the one who dangerously exhaust my chakra reserves." The Sakura of a year ago would be absolutely horrified at what she'd just said to Sasuke. The Sakura of the now was slightly pleased when the Uchiha's expression turned a little darker and tinted with embarrassment.

"I didn't exhaust it to the point of passing out," said Sasuke. Naruto shot him a dirty look but otherwise didn't look or say anything to either one of them.

She guessed they'd embarrassed each other enough when Naruto redirected their line of discussion. "Why are you here, Sakura-chan? I thought your parents wouldn't let you out of the house after that."

Sakura shrugged and smiled. "I told them that the only reason I was hurt is because I wasn't strong enough to protect myself. So if I train more, I'll be safe," she said. It wasn't easy to convince them. In fact, they weren't really convinced at all. Her mother was quite infuriated with her, but she excused herself to prepare for the funeral so there wasn't an argument. She had wanted to let them in slowly to the danger of a shinobi's life, but she understood now that that would be impossible. "What about you, Naruto? Why are you here?" she asked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and bit his lips. "Well, I had a lot of trouble fighting Gaara, so I thought I should train a bit more. My body is already healed anyway," he replied.

Sakura noticed Sasuke glaring at Naruto when he said he had trouble fighting Gaara, like that assessment personally offended him. If Naruto was the one who beat Gaara, she could understand Sasuke's pride being severely hurt. That would also explain why he showed up to the training ground as well.

"Well," she said, "let's train together then." Then she got an idea. "How about the three of us fight each other until there's only one standing?"

The boys looked at her like she went nuts. "Sakura, Naruto would beat us both on that. You know he's a freak in terms of stamina," Sasuke said. Naruto sent him another dirty look for that comment.

Sakura allowed her evil grin to show. "Who said we couldn't knock each other out," she replied. Naruto looked like he wanted to object, but she didn't let him. She went into a combat stance. "Come on."

To her surprise, it was Sasuke-kun who went into combat stance first. "Let's make this session about taijutsu then. No ninjutsu. No genjutsu," he said.

She was a little insulted, but she knew it was a legitimate concern. Naruto and Sasuke were monsters in term of the chakra reserve and ninjutsu techniques. She wouldn't last long against them. But that also meant she needed to get better on both counts. "Fine," she replied. "Let's do this."

That was how they began the training that looked conspicuously like a brawl. Both Naruto and Sasuke weren't prepare for Sakura to go all out against them. She wasn't thinking in terms of taijutsu or training at all. She was remembering the time during the Chuunin Exam that her instinct to survive was so strong that she did everything she could think of. She threw Naruto to the ground and jumped on him, bit him, punched him. At first, Naruto seemed to just lie there and cover his face until she screamed at him to fight back. Then it was Sasuke that charged her, almost taking her out, but she leaped back and out of the way just in time before charging at him. They fell to the ground. She pulled his hair. He punched her stomach. She kneed his groin, hard, before leaping back at Naruto, who was more prepared for her savage way of fighting this time.

At the end of it, the three of them were lying on the ground panting. They didn't know who was the last one standing anymore because they spent their last fifteen minutes rolling on the ground, kicking, punching, biting, elbowing, strangling, until they were all black and blue and red from long painful scratch marks. The entire fight was graceless, unbecoming of shinobi, but Sakura didn't care. It was cathartic, like she was finally released. Her body ached, but she felt good. No wonder Naruto and Sasuke went at it with each other all the time.

It was Naruto who got up first. "I'm hungry," he said. "Let's get ramen."

"No damn way," replied Sasuke as he got up, too. "I'm not going to eat an entire bowl of carbs."

Naruto turned to him and pouted. He was about to say something when Sakura shot up. "I know," she said, "let's get hotpot."

/***/

As it turned out, getting hotpot by Sakura's definition was getting the ingredients for the hotpot and making it at home.

And by home, Sasuke meant his apartment.

Sakura didn't want to go home early; that much was obvious. Sasuke didn't ask why. He suspected it had something to do with the argument with her parents about being a kunoichi which was something he had never thought about. Being born and raised in a shinobi clan, Sasuke had never thought twice about getting hit. It was what he had expected since he was five. He had never thought what it would be like for doting parents to have to watch their children getting injured time after time. He wondered briefly if his parents would have been just as concerned about him, but he quickly stopped that line of thought. Thinking about them hurt too much.

Sasuke also didn't ask what was going on that suddenly Sakura turned from a regular kunoichi into a street fighter. How they fought had nothing to do with taijutsu. It was raw and strangely honest. It was like him fighting Naruto, only that this time it wasn't fueled by anger. He was terrified by how utterly freeing it felt.

Since he probably had Sakura to thank for this, Sasuke agreed to host the hotpot at his place without much fuss, which surprised both his teammates. They went shopping at a grocery store near his place with the determination to get good food despite Naruto's protest that ramen qualified. The blond tried to use the fact that the mocktails Sakura insisted on buying weren't good food either. He lost in a stare down.

It took an hour or so for the three of them to prepare the meal together, mostly because they didn't know their way around the kitchen or each other. Sasuke had never really used the kitchen so extensively before, let alone let someone else use it. He was just standing back in the beginning, waiting for something to blow up, but nothing did. Sakura seemed to at least know her way around the stove enough to boil water and drop in the soup pack. Naruto was tasked with chopping vegetables, which he didn't know how to do despite his familiarity with sharp objects. Sasuke had to show him and they ended up slicing the meat together while Sakura prepared the dipping and occasionally cooing over Sasuke's apparent cooking skill.

They spent another two hours chatting and eating the hotpot, and by that time it was evening. They cleaned up and cooled down in the living room afterwards. That was when Sakura opened the mocktails and passed them around.

"This smells weird," Naruto said as he sipped his. Sasuke agreed. It was a combination of so many smells that, by the standard of thirteen-year-old Sasuke, should not be mixed together.

"It's supposed to smell like the real thing," Sakura said before sipping some more. "Being adults must be boring."

Sasuke couldn't agree more. He had wanted to ask why Sakura wanted to try something that was supposedly for adults all of the sudden, but the conversation got stirred away from the mocktails to something rather stupid by none other than Naruto. Sasuke sighed. He wasn't in the mood to interrupt Naruto, who was in a better mood than they had seen him in for a while. Like always, Sasuke didn't say much in the conversation. It was mostly Sakura and Naruto, but they always tried to include him. When he was first assigned to Team Seven, he had found this annoying, but right then he didn't mind, not with the easy air they had around each other.

He didn't notice that something was wrong with Naruto until an hour later when the blond boy finally finished his can of mocktail. He had become increasingly quiet and Sasuke was filling in more and more of the conversation. When Naruto didn't add his two-cents for more than five minutes, they just had to check if he was all right. By then his face was slightly flushed and his eyes drooped like he was about to fall asleep.

"Hey, are you tired?" Sakura asked. "Maybe we should head back."

"Yeah," Naruto said. He tried to get up but then suddenly had to sit down. "Shit," he muttered. "I'm dizzy."

Sasuke was a little alarmed. After all, Naruto was fine before. Sasuke wondered it was because of his injuries. "Geez, Dead-last. You shouldn't have pushed yourself earlier."

Naruto growled at him, "Shut up, Uchiha."

Sasuke was about to retort when his eyes went to the can Naruto had been drinking and spotted something on the label they didn't see before. "Sakura," he said, "I don't think this one is a mocktail."

Sakura looked surprised. She quickly grabbed the can and read it. "What?" she basically shrieked. "How come they let us buy this?"

Sasuke didn't know either. "He probably thought you picked a lot of the same thing. I don't think he had a good look at it," he said, knowing that Sakura didn't either. She was just picking up one after another assuming they were the same kind of mocktail. They were too hungry to care at that point.

"What? You're saying I'm drunk?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded. Naruto cussed and Sakura lifted an eyebrow at him.

"I don't think he should be alone like this," she said and gave Sasuke a meaningful look. The Uchiha sighed but nodded.

"I'm okay. I just need to sit this dizziness out a little and I'll be able to get home just fine," protested Naruto. "This isn't bad at all. I don't even slur."

"Of course you don't, moron. There isn't enough alcohol to impair you that much," said Sasuke. "As much of a pain as you are, you're staying."

Naruto was about to get up and pick a fight with him when Sakura dragged him down again. "Naruto, this is for your own good. My parents said that if you've never had a drink before, it's better if there's someone with you in case you become sick."

Naruto looked torn, like he wanted to argue, but Sakura's silent pleading kept him quiet. He glanced at Sasuke like he was asking for help, but Sasuke stood firm. Eventually, Naruto looked to the floor and nodded.

Sakura gave him a blinding smile. "Great. Now be a good boy, okay?" she said and patted his head.

Naruto glanced at her and pouted. "I'm not a dog or something, you know," he muttered.

"No, you aren't. You're just being a kid," said Sasuke. Naruto shot him a dirty look, even slightly angry, but Sasuke wasn't fazed.

Sakura looked at them, sighed, and got up. "Okay, I'm heading out. Try not to kill each other, all right?" She looked between them before her eyes settled on Sasuke. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She said with a small smile before leaving. There was a strange expression on her face that Sasuke couldn't quite pinpoint. She seemed lively the entire time, but there were moments when she seemed pensive, like that moment before she closed the door.

But when the door shut close, Sasuke was left with a problem of his own, namely Uzumaki Naruto.

Drunk or not, Sasuke honestly didn't know what to do with Naruto. They hadn't really talked since they fought before the third round of the Chuunin Exam. It wasn't that he intentionally avoided Naruto. It was just one thing happened after another so they never had the chance to talk about it. And Sasuke didn't know if Naruto wanted to talk, knowing how private the blond boy actually was with his thoughts.

The only comfort he had was that Naruto was just as awkward about this as Sasuke. He tried to keep busy, as if the blond boy was avoiding having to face him. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of things to do to keep busy aside from reading the label of the can that was actually a cocktail.

Sasuke walked over, contemplating with his every step what to say before he reached the boy. He settled with a question. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Naruto seemed to contemplate this for a moment before saying, "I need to lie down."

Sasuke knew then that Naruto probably felt worse than he had let on. He wanted to call Naruto out on that but held his tongue. There was nothing good in berating the blond boy when he was like this. It wasn't Naruto's fault that he got himself drunk, so he said, "I'll get you a blanket and a pillow. Go lie down on the couch."

Naruto was surprised, but he wisely just nodded and got up. Sasuke watched him until he was sure that Naruto wasn't going to topple over before heading for his bedroom. While he was there, he got Naruto a set of clothes to change into and a towel. They were all dirty from their 'training' so he should at least make sure that Naruto get to shower.

When Sasuke came back, Naruto was already curling on his side on the couch with his eyes closed. He looked strangely vulnerable like that, engulfed by the large couch and throw pillows. Sasuke was too tired to get angry at the blond boy for soiling his furniture, so he just put the stack of clothes down and quietly said, "Hey, are you asleep?"

Naruto's eyes flew open. His body stretched out a little. "I'm awake. You don't have to whisper," he said. His eyes went to the stack and clearly noticed Sasuke's clothes over the pillow. Confusion crossed his face.

"Do you think you can shower?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know," Naruto replied. He seemed genuinely uncertain, so Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder for him to lie back down.

"I'll get you wet towel," Sasuke said before heading back to the bedroom. He was running the water when it struck him that he didn't have to do this. He could just clean the couch later if it bothered him so much, and Naruto seemed pretty content just sleeping it off. It was Sasuke that offered the blanket, the pillow, the change of clothes, and even a wet towel. The sight of Naruto curled up on his couch, dirty and small, seemed to implore Sasuke to do something, anything.

He just turned off the tab and went back to Naruto. The blond boy was on his back with his eyes closed. Sasuke sat down on next to him, took off Naruto's head band, and rubbed the towel on his face. "Hey!" Naruto protested, but Sasuke just kept on rubbing until the dirt on his face was gone. "What was that for, bastard?" Naruto asked, looking rather annoyed.

"You're dirty," said Sasuke. He finished up Naruto's face before unzipping his jacket, but Naruto pushed him away hard enough that Sasuke fell onto the floor. When Sasuke looked up, Naruto had his back in the corner, his legs drawn up to his chest.

"What the-" the blond boy said. Then he suddenly pointed at Sasuke and shouted, "Molester!"

Sasuke got up and sighed. "Dope-"

"Pervert!"

"-you have the sex appeal of an orangutan-"

"I knew it, you kinky bastard! Normal people don't do it for you!"

Sasuke groaned. "Sakura wiped you down when you were out during the Chuunin Exam. What's wrong with ME doing it!?" he shouted back.

Naruto's eyes went impossibly wide at that. "Sakura what?" he asked in the most horrified tone Sasuke had ever heard.

"After you got the seal, you were unconscious with a high fever. She had to wipe you with cold water to keep it down," Sasuke explained. He thought Naruto would have been delighted that Sakura had actually taken care of him, but he turned as white as a sheet, like he was about to faint. Sasuke sat back down on the couch immediately. His hand went for Naruto's ankle. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Naruto looked like he might be spooked otherwise.

"Did... did you guys see anything weird on my body?" Naruto asked. Although the muscles on his face barely shifted, Naruto's eyes were filled with terror.

Of what? Sasuke didn't know. "Aside from that seal on your neck, nothing," he replied. Come to think about it, it was odd considering that Jiraiya and Kakashi seemed aware of another seal on Naruto, the one for his extra chakra reserve. Sasuke wanted to ask if Naruto knew about it but remembered Kakashi's threat all too well. Talking about that seal would be off-limits, which was frustrating since he would need to go about it the round about way if he wanted to know anything. And Sasuke didn't know how to do it.

Naruto seemed to breathe a little easier, although the frown still edged on his face. Sasuke concluded that whatever it was about, Naruto was in distress about it. He would have to let Naruto be the one to tell him.

"Let me clean you up a little so you can change and go to sleep," he suggested.

Naruto looked back at him. One moment he looked defiant, like he wanted to punch Sasuke just to prove that he didn't need someone to babysit him. On any other circumstances, Sasuke suspected that it would have happened. But this time, to his surprise, that mask crumbled and in its place was a scared little child. "Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked. It sounded like he wanted to shout but didn't have the strength to really do it. "First you nagged me and were all weird, then you hovered and protected me like I'm some incompetent idiot, and then... then you coddle me like this. What's going on here, bastard?"

Sasuke blinked. He honestly hadn't thought about what he did. There wasn't a grand plan of any kind behind his gestures. He knew it wasn't pity that made him react to Naruto whenever the blond boy was in distress. Sympathy maybe. Sasuke, after all, understood what it was like to have no one to lean on. He often went back to his childhood memory of his mother to get through tough times. Naruto didn't have even a memory like that. There was nothing he could turn to when the last person who was anywhere close to being his family just passed away.

"I know you're all alone," Sasuke began. He didn't know if it was the right thing to say, but he just knew he had to let Naruto know that he understood that part at least. "I've been like that since my parents were killed. All my extended family died on that day. Nothing rattles like the realization that nobody really cares."

Naruto's eyes were widened, then his brows furrowed. Sasuke didn't know what that meant. He might just want Sasuke to stop talking.

"But I'm not alone anymore. I have you and Sakura, and sometimes Kakashi," as much as Sasuke hated to admit the last part. "I just want you to know that you have us now, but I really don't know how to make you believe me."

Sasuke had a brief moment to wonder if there was something in his drink that made him say that before Naruto spoke in an uncharacteristically small voice, "We always fight."

He blinked. "So?"

Naruto groaned. "People who like each other don't fight like that," he said.

"Brothers fight," Sasuke said. Although, it wasn't really his experience, he had seen many siblings who never got along well despite always having each other's back.

Naruto huffed. "Well, sorry if I don't know anything about that," Naruto said. The tone of self deprecation didn't really sit well with Sasuke and he lifted his hand to Naruto's head. At first, the blond boy flinched back like he expected Sasuke to hit him. When Sasuke brushed back his hair, Naruto looked completely lost.

"To be honest, I don't know either," he admitted. Itachi was more absent than not, and the Itachi Sasuke used to idealize was only a mask that concealed the murderer within. After the massacre, he doubted every moment he shared with Itachi. He doubted every affectionate gesture Itachi had ever shown towards him.

He suspected that that was pretty much what Naruto was going through but backward. Naruto never received such a gesture so he doubted whether it really meant what people claimed it to be when it was done towards him. "I'm not a child, you know," Naruto protested feebly and looked away, but he didn't pull away from Sasuke's hand. Sasuke counted that as victory.

"So?" Sasuke asked again.

"You like to treat me like one," Naruto replied with a half-hearted glare that made Sasuke want to smile.

He let himself smirk instead. "Are you pouting, Dead-last?"

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "What the- No, bastard!" he exclaimed and swatted away Sasuke's hand. "Geez, for a moment I thought you were nice and all."

Although they were bickering like before, the animosity that used to underlie their interactions seemed to have disappeared. Even though Naruto's face wasn't plastered with his trademark shit-eating grin, there was the softening around the eyes that made Sasuke's heart beat a little faster. He realized then that this was actually how Naruto looked like when he was happy, and knowing that he made him happy made Sasuke feel like the King of the World.

"If you can't even clean up before bed, I have no choice but to treat you like one, Dope," Sasuke said.

He was barely able to hide his mirth when Naruto huffed, took off his jacket, and threw it over the back of the couch with a shout, "Fine! Let's get this over with!"

/***/

End of Chapter 13

**A/N:** Down, naughty thoughts. Down.

And here I rest my case for why alcohol shouldn't be sold in supermarkets (like one country I know allows), but somehow I feel like it's a failed argument. :P

**Reign of Sorrow** Well, I don't know if they'll make a good couple per se, but that does not preclude us enjoying this, does it? Personally, I've always liked Vegeta more than Goku despite his bad beginning. I think there's this association in people's mind between honesty and naivety (or in some case down-right stupidity) that is convenient to play into but total unfounded. And a lot of shonen mangaka not just Toriyama and Kishimoto plays into that, or into the opposite of that (like in Death Note). I'm okay with that to a degree, but I prefer something more complex than the naïve=good and smart=bad dichotomy. And, yeah, Naruto is stupid in the canon. I had hoped at one point that one of his development would be his intelligence because it could have gone that way at one point, but then it was gone in a puff.

**semexx** Woah! You're a really picking it apart, sir. Okay, so here's some of my take on the issues you brought up. This is going to be a long one and just my reason for the choices I made which doesn't anyway mean I think the chapter is flawless. Here we go.

In the first chapter, I don't think Naruto have much access to Kyuubi's chakra yet, so he's not going to be good to go in a day. I don't really know how fast a hand broken from repeated punching would heal, so I based the estimate on a minor soft-tissue injury I got on my wrist 3-4 years ago which took a month to control the pain and over a year with some rehabilitation for it to stop aching. (And it still can. An injury like this stays with you. There's no complete healing.) My guess is Naruto's injury, which is way worse than mine, is going to take at least a few months to heal for a normal person and a few weeks at his accelerated rate.

I think the change to Naruto after Iruka's death is in both behaviors and world view, but how that would play out really depends on how you interpret Naruto's character. For me, Naruto is interesting because he simultaneously holds so much in and lets so much out, so I tried to convey that dichotomy with him trying to appear the same while having emotional outbursts (succeeding or not is another story altogether). You have to remember that Naruto and Sasuke are very different people. Their coping mechanisms are different. They wouldn't react the same way to the same kind of loss. Also another thing I would like to urge you to keep in mind is the POV I'm using. _Everyone_ is an unreliable narrator in one way or the other (because they're people like us; we are all biased). So if you got the feeling that Kakashi focused too much on Naruto when they were introduced, was that it or was it Naruto not wanting Kakashi to scrutinize him? He might be observing all of them equally as far as I'm concerned.

I disagree with you that Sasuke knew at that point what being a ninja really means. Actually, none of the kids could possibly know. They haven't even experience an actual mission, yet. The first for them is the Wave Country mission. Naruto is a little ahead in that he was actually in a middle of a conflict between two parties over a commodity that ended up with one side dead which is sort of trial-run of how a deadly mission can be like, although I don't think he fully internalize it. Sasuke might have been through a very tragic circumstance, but he didn't experience the conflict, just the aftermath. After that he was obsessed with getting his revenge, which would probably give him a severe tunnel vision. He would understand shinobi in terms of the skill required, but not the bigger picture that Naruto has a small glimpse of. (Actually, in the canon Sasuke comes to understand the bigger picture long after Itachi is dead.) He has more capability to understand it, though, _if_ he could get out of his own little world and look around for a change.

As for the conflicting displays, I have one word for you: overcompensation. I find that people, especially adolescent males but not only or always, do it when they are insecure or unsure of themselves. (I also have my pet theory that it's connected to bullying, but I digress.) True superiority is not in flaunting superiority, but in how one controls a situation. That being said, you've raised a really good point about human behavior: we are never straightforward in showing who we are or how we feel, and we contradict ourselves on a regular basis. I actually didn't notice that I made Naruto smirk that much, though. Really?

**ZyiareHellsing** Short answer is Kyuubi doesn't have full access or control over Naruto's chakra system. Long answer is the Kyuubi's chakra is connect to Naruto's but he's not really a part of it. Naruto has to grant him full access to the pathways (i.e., let Kyuubi take over) to do that, and even then there is still a bottleneck in the connection between Naruto and Kyuubi so the amount of chakra flowing between them is limited. So, no, no purging...yet.

**SupernaturalHearts **I hope I don't frustrate you too much. I simply go with what's relevant to the POV I am using. And good to hear that it's not too predictable. I've thought that maybe my summary gives away too much of where this is going and it might turn out to be too obvious. So glad it's not.

**kamui5** Thank you for letting me know it's not boring. I'm still trying to figure out what makes a story boring and what not and how to pace it, so comments like this are really helpful. I hope you got the sweetness you've wanted in this chapter because, yeah, shit is about to hit the fan.

**wierdsquirrelgirl** My thought about Orochimaru precisely! *High Five* Yes, there will be manipulations and Leaf being in a hissy fit, although I sort of regret now that there won't be a lot of scenes between Orochimaru and Naruto because I do love manipulations. (To be fair, there wasn't a lot in between Orochimaru and Sasuke in the canon, either.)

**nekomode** Wow, really acute observation. I wasn't really thinking about the canon characters when I was writing this because I have to try to stay in my version of the characters, but, yeah, the divergence is clear now, isn't it? My impression about Sasuke in the canon at that point is that he is at a pivoting point. He acknowledges that his teammates are important to him, but he is still too stuck up about it (and, yes, really jealous of Naruto). He could have gone anyway at that stage, I think, but then Itachi happens and the rest is history.

Also, "I have to say that your version hit me harder on the emotional level than the original did." - Mission accomplished!

And, yes, Itachi's coming.


	14. Chapter 14: Past in Present

**A/N: **Itachi has arrived and Kakashi is this story's bearer of bad news. Warning for violence... and gore? There are a lot of blood, but that's about it.

Also, I really can't figure out how to write fight scenes with giant monsters, I mean summons, so that got changed again. If anyone was expecting that, sorry, not happening.

**Update 06/03/2016:** This chapter has been improved by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 14: Past in Present**

Due to the casualties during the Sand and Sound invasion, Konoha had never been busier. But being busy was better for all of them. With the entire village in such shock, sorrow, and confusion, the clockwork of daily life kept everyone focused and reminded them that at least they were out of the crisis now.

...Or so Kakashi had hoped.

His brief meetings now and then with Jiraiya didn't result in a good outlook. Jiraiya had been tracking Akatsuki, a small group of highly dangerous rogue nins, for a while now, and recently they had been moving more than usual. Apparently they were targeting Jinchuuriki across the continent. That meant Naruto staying in the village would be dangerous for everyone, including the boy himself, so Jiraiya was going to take him on trips. At least if he kept moving, it would be harder for Akatsuki to find him.

That would also mean breaking up Team Seven, at least temporarily. Kakashi wasn't looking forward to telling this to the rest of his team, especially Sasuke, especially now that everything was going swimmingly. His little project of getting Sasuke and Naruto to help each other seemed to have taken a turn for the better without his involvement. It wasn't anything obvious in how they interacted. Sasuke and Naruto still fought and bickered, but somehow it was more cordial now. It might have something to do with his kids developing a habit of taking it out at each other on the training ground when the tension was too high. The fight wasn't pretty, but it seemed to keep the arguments during missions at an all-time low, so Kakashi didn't see fit to intervene.

There were also small gestures during their missions, like Sasuke bringing small candy bags with him even though he wasn't partial to candy and even hand-fed Naruto and Sakura once when his teammates were too busy and dirty to get the candy themselves. Kakashi tried to get Sasuke to feed him too but got the bag of candy shoved in his face. The love wasn't extended to their teacher, apparently.

Some of the gestures seemed to happen in a more private setting, like the times when he intentionally hid himself during breaks on missions (not to read Icha Icha Paradise or anything) and spotted the two boys taking a nap. They were resting under a tree with Naruto's head on Sasuke's shoulder and Sasuke's head on the mop of blond. Kakashi was quite shocked by the display, knowing Sasuke wouldn't be caught dead being that vulnerable around Kakashi. He was even more shocked when Sakura came to wake them up, complaining about them slacking off, and Sasuke didn't even defend himself when Naruto told Sakura that it was Sasuke's idea.

If Kakashi could have his way, he would keep his team like this. But when Jiraiya gave him a clear signal that he would be leaving with Naruto, Kakashi had no other choice but to accept that this little happiness couldn't last. He intended on telling Sakura and Sasuke at their usual meeting place before they started their mission that day. But, again, nothing went as he planned.

/***/

Kakashi not showing up on time didn't worry Sasuke too much, but when it was two hours in and Naruto had yet to arrive, Sasuke couldn't help feeling uneasy. Sakura seemed to be in the same state. She started out chatting with him like usual, but after an hour of Naruto not showing up, she became quiet. At two hours, she turned to him and said, "Something's wrong." Sasuke couldn't agree more.

The situation seemed even grimmer when they arrived at Naruto's place and no one was there. Things got even worse when they got to Kakashi's and found a whole herd of jounin there with Kakashi unconscious on his bed with no obvious sign of injury. Might Guy tried to brush it off but one of the noisy newcomers spit it out.

Itachi was in the village, and he was after Naruto.

Sasuke's legs brought him out of the room before he could even hear Guy's reply. All he could think of was that Naruto was in danger and he had also disappeared. He tried to think of anywhere that Naruto might have been, someone who might recognize him and the people that might be with him at the time.

He only realized that someone else was following him when he stopped at Ichiraku and the footsteps didn't. Sakura appeared right beside him just a few seconds later just as Sasuke was asking the old man at Ichiraku about Naruto. When he mentioned Jiraiya, Sasuke was relieved, but only marginally. They might not know about Itachi, and even if they knew, what were they going to do about a highly trained Sharingan user?

Sasuke didn't want to think about it. So he just ran to the town the old man said the two were heading. They were traveling by foot for only a couple of hours. There was still enough time to catch up with them. That was, if Itachi didn't catch up with them first.

That very thought sent Sasuke's heart right into his stomach. He couldn't let that happen. He didn't know what Itachi wanted. He didn't need to know. He just needed to make sure that Naruto was safe and Itachi was gone.

It took him a long time before he realized that Sakura was still following him. Even at that speed, she seemed to be able to keep up, so Sasuke didn't slow down. He didn't know if he could even if he tried.

They arrived in town after an hour of intense running. He could tell that Sakura's legs were about to give out, but she stubbornly stood beside him. "I'll look on the right. You look on the left," he told her and she nodded. They didn't need to talk more than that because Sakura heard everything thus far. She might not know who Itachi was, but the urgency of the situation seemed clear enough to her. They spend a good twenty minutes looking through the street asking for a blond haired boy accompanying a white haired man, but got only false leads. With every minute that passed Sasuke became more agitated. With every minute, Itachi was closer to finding Naruto.

When Sasuke opened his eyes again, they were red.

/***/

Naruto knew he was in trouble the moment he stared into a pair of Sharingan. There wasn't an intention to kill or anything. It was just stillness - cold, dead stillness - that chilled him to the bones. The man, dressed in dark attire and traveling gear, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the room.

"Should we cut off his legs?" asked the taller man dressed in similar attire with a giant sword on his back. Naruto swallowed and tried to think of a way out. He couldn't beat them, that much was clear. Running away wouldn't be an option either. He wasn't clear on what they wanted, but since they knew about the Nine-tails, they might want that, not that Naruto could use it as a bargain.

In essence, unless that perverted sennin decided to show up any time soon, Naruto was really screwed.

He was just about to negotiate to at least keep his legs when he suddenly felt an overwhelming killing intent. His eyes looked past the two people in front of him and saw Sasuke standing with Sharingan blaring.

"Uchiha Itachi," his friend said slowly, each syllable heavy and pronounced, "I have come to kill you."

Naruto quickly looked back at the Sharingan user in front of him. He shouldn't be surprised that the man in front of him was an Uchiha given the his bloodline limit. But he remembered the rumor that everyone in the Uchiha clan was dead except Sasuke. Then who was this man? How come Sasuke wanted to kill him?

"He seems familiar with you, Itachi-san. Who is he?" The tall man asked.

Itachi didn't as much as look behind him when he said, "He is my younger brother. We don't need to worry about him." Again, he took hold of Naruto's arm. "He's still too weak. Killing him now would not be satisfying."

Before Naruto could fully comprehend what that meant, electricity suddenly flew in the hallway. Naruto didn't need to look to know that Sasuke was using Chidori. He only had a glimpse of his friend charging through the hall before Itachi threw Naruto to his partner and turned around. He grabbed Sasuke's arm and slammed it into the nearest wall, creating a giant hole from the sheer power of the jutsu.

But that also meant he had to turn his body half way from Naruto, an opening.

"Don't you even try it, kid," said the guy behind him. His giant sword rested against Naruto's calf. Naruto cursed himself for forgetting about the psycho. "One move and I'll cut your legs off."

"Knock him out, Kisame," said Itachi. Naruto heard the sound of bones crushing and a scream from Sasuke as his friend fell to the ground. The next thing he heard was the ringing in his ears and the sound of blood pumping through his veins. He leaped forward, jumping to avoid Kisame's sword as he tried to rush pass Itachi to Sasuke. He might be faster than before, but not fast enough to beat the older Uchiha. Naruto felt the impact on his throat and on the back of his skull as Itachi slammed him against the wall. His vision went black for a second from the pain.

"Get your hands off him, Itachi!"

It was Sasuke. He knew that it was Sasuke, but Naruto's vision was starting to blur. Itachi's grip was so tight he couldn't breathe. He clawed at the older Uchiha's arm, but the man seemed unaffected. He was in another league, another level of strength that Naruto couldn't even begin to grasp. He hated himself for being so weak.

Then there was a sound. He felt the impact on Itachi's arm before the hand left his throat. Naruto slumped to the ground trying to breathe and see what had happened. He spotted a head of pink hair.

"NO," Naruto tried to call out to her, to tell her to run, because Itachi knew no mercy and she would be dead and he wouldn't survive it. The choking had robbed him of most of his voice. It became hoarse and meek. Somewhere in the corner of his eyes, he saw Sasuke leaping into action with Sakura. She didn't last very long; neither did Sasuke with a broken arm. Itachi showed no mercy as he delivered hit after hit into his brother's body before slamming Sasuke to the wall like he did Naruto. Naruto couldn't see what happened next. He just heard Sasuke's loud agonizing scream.

He got up with the last strength he had left and slammed himself against Itachi's side hard enough that he had to let go of Sasuke. He barely managed to grab Sasuke as he fell and propped him against the wall. He then turned to Itachi, putting himself in between Sasuke and his attacker.

"How touching," came Kisame's voice as his footsteps drew closer. Naruto pretty much knew that it was over. They were going to get killed.

That was when a toad showed up, blocking Kisame's sword from falling directly on them. The wall instantly became slimy flesh that made Naruto's skin crawled. Finally, he could breathe again knowing that Jiraiya had come. The rest of the fight wasn't much of a fight at all. Itachi and Kisame retreated, somehow managing to escape what Jiraiya said was inescapable, but Naruto didn't care at that moment. He turned to Sasuke, calling to him...

... but the only thing that greeted him was a pair of dead eyes.

"Sasuke," he whispered as he searched for a pulse. He was alive. Itachi didn't kill Sasuke, but somehow he wasn't responding.

"Naruto," came a feminine sound from behind him. Naruto turned and there was Sakura, bruised but very much alive.

"Sakura-chan, are you badly hurt?" he asked. His voice was still hoarse.

Sakura just shook her head. "I'm fine," she said before scooting closer, her hand occasionally placed on her stomach. "What happened to Sasuke-kun?" she asked. Naruto shook his head. He didn't know what happened himself. He had never seen anything like this. The sight of an unresponsive Sasuke troubled him greatly.

"That's the Tsukuyomi," said Jiraiya as he rounded the corner towards them. He didn't look pleased. "A high-level genjutsu of the Uchiha clan. Not all Sharingan users can do this." He paused, looked at Sasuke, and sighed. "It should have been released when Itachi lost eye-contact with him, but it seems that whatever Itachi put him through is also keeping him under."

Sakura looked like she was about to cry but shook her head and slapped her face twice. When it was done, she looked at determined as ever. Naruto wished he could feel the same way. "Then what are we going to do?" he asked. He hated how his voice cracked, but he couldn't help it. This was his teammate, goddamn it! What if Sasuke could never come to his senses ever again? What was he supposed to do?

Why was he so useless?

So many thing could have happened in that fight that might have gotten Sasuke and Sakura killed. If Kisame had intervened earlier, if Jiraiya had come a little too late, if Itachi hit Sakura a little harder in the stomach, if he had choked Sasuke instead of using the genjutsu. If! If! If! If! The thought made his stomach coil, like an agitated snake curling on itself, wanting to lash out.

His train of thoughts were interrupted when Jiraiya came to stand next to him. The sick feeling in his stomach, however, didn't go away."Sasuke needs medical attention," said the sanin. "We'll call someone to bring him back to Konoha. In the meantime, we have to continue with the plan."

"Fuck the plan!" Naruto shouted the best he could. He could feel the pain in his throat, but he didn't care. "I'll take Sasuke back to Konoha, you can just go on your own!"

"And what are you going to do? Wait for him to wake up by some miracle!?" Jiraiya shouted back. Naruto flinched and hated himself for it. "Tsunade, the person we're searching for, is a legendary medic. If anyone could guarantee Sasuke's full recovery, it would be her. So get your act together!"

Intellectually, Naruto knew Jiraiya was right, but his heart was telling him not to leave Sasuke, because Sasuke never left him, because Sasuke had become his friend and friends stood by each other when they got into trouble. He didn't want to disappoint Sasuke. He knew it was strange considering his history of causing disappointment, but he didn't want to repeat that, not this time.

It was Sakura's touch on his arm that cleared his mind. When he turned to her, she had a resolute smile on her face. "I'll take care of Sasuke-kun. You go find this lady and bring her back to us, okay?"

Somehow, at that moment, the Sakura-chan he knew seemed to have grown. She was more in control of her emotions and the situation than Naruto ever was. For a brief moment, he felt ashamed, but he knew that nothing would come out of it, so he straightened up and said, "All right, I'll be quick."

And he intended what he said. He wasn't going to disappoint her too.

/***/

When they headed out to find Tsunade-hime, Kabuto didn't really think it was going to escalate into a fight. She was one of the legendary sannin. She was, by all standards, an accomplished kunoichi with a long list of work in both combat and medicine. Life, however, had not been merciful to her, and Tsunade's spirit was broken. Despite her extraordinary abilities, she should be nothing more than an ordinary woman now.

That assessment was proven wrong to a devastating outcome. Tsunade proved that once a kunoichi, always a kunoichi. She might have developed an anxiety disorder to blood. She might have a weak spot for her loved ones. She might be addicted to gambling and sake. But all the vices did not change the fact that she was a vicious fighter and one of the sannin. Those were just two parts of the same whole that was Senju Tsunade.

That, or it was all Uzumaki Naruto's fault.

The last they talked to Tsunade, Kabuto was so sure that they had swayed her to their cause. After she met Naruto, however, she wavered. Kabuto wasn't sure if bringing the fox boy along was Jiraiya's cunningness or pure chance. He could never quite tell with the Toad Sannin. Compared to Orochimaru, Jiraiya was a loud-mouthed idiot, but sometimes some of his moves were too well-placed and well-timed to be simply chance. Kabuto wasn't going to make the same mistake twice by underestimating him as well.

Naruto's appearance also prompted the interest of Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin had been in agony for weeks, but as soon as the boy was in his sight, he seemed lively again. Kabuto had to reminded him that with Orochimaru's hands being out of commission and Jiraiya around, taking Naruto with them would be close to impossible. Orochimaru just chuckled but didn't say anything in reply. His reaction left Kabuto rather uneasy.

And there in front of him in the battlefield was the source of the disaster. Kabuto had captured Tsunade using her fear of blood. He tried to make his way back to Orochimaru, but Naruto came at him, multiple shadow clones dispatched. Kabuto was able to avoid and destroyed many of the clones using blood, but they had kept him so busy that he almost didn't hear a shout from the sky. He looked up just in time to see Naruto with a bright blue fist coming at him from above. He managed to dodge in the last second and felt the impact of Naruto hitting the ground.

"Naruto, you punk!" shouted Jiraiya. "You could have killed Tsunade!"

Kabuto wasn't sure what the white-haired sannin meant until he looked down and found a crater on the ground where the kid had landed. _That_ could get him some serious facial reconstruction. He was quite irritated by the fact that Naruto almost managed to stop him with this kind of luck...

No, it wasn't luck. His aim was barely off. The clones made it so that Kabuto's retreating path was predictable and distracting him from the fact that Naruto had made the jump. Still, Naruto neglected the fact that Kabuto had enough space to dodge if even slightly. He ignored the fact that Tsunade could have been seriously hurt in the process.

Yes, Naruto was powerful, indisputably so with the Nine-tail's power, but in Kabuto's humble opinion that wasn't enough to get anybody anywhere. The boy's techniques were crude, his plan ineffective. Kabuto could never understand why Orochimaru chose Naruto over Uchiha Sasuke when the fox boy clearly lacked the intelligence and the skills Orochimaru loved in his subjects. Circumstance might be one of them, but Orochimaru wasn't known to fall prey to circumstance.

Kabuto was about to make a further retreat, but Tsunade's assistant came in the way. She didn't dare use any of her advanced techniques because Tsunade was with him, but she and half a dozen Narutos were enough to make the retreat nearly impossible.

"Hand over Tsunade-sama," the women demanded. Shizune was it? Kabuto pulled the feeble sannin against him and placed a chakra scalpel beside her neck. Everyone stopped.

"I can hand over her body now, or I can hand her back alive later when she's successfully healed Orochimaru-sama. Your choice," he said. Shizune looked torn. Her loyalty to Tsunade was getting in the way here.

It was Naruto who broke the silence. "That's not going to work on me," he said, his eyes determined.

"Your clones are not going to work on me either, Naruto-kun. I can sense them coming," he countered as he felt two clones approaching him from behind. "You can't use the same trick twice."

Naruto's eyes widened. He had been thrown off guard by the fact that Kabuto had seen that fight he had with the Mist ninja during the Chuunin Exam and remembered his tactic. If they were one-on-one, Kabuto could get him then, but with Tsunade with him, there was nothing much he could do. He shifted his gaze to Jiraiya. The Toad Sannin was still glaring daggers at Orochimaru. Jiraiya and Shizune probably tried to prolong the stalemate so that Jiraiya could get his chakra control back. That meant their chance of taking Tsunade was now. Kabuto had to create an opening so they could escape.

And he knew precisely which piece to take out for that to happen.

Kabuto shifted his focus back to Naruto. The boy was glaring at him, clearly agitated that his plan in stealing Tsunade back did not pan out. That was another flaw in Uzumaki Naruto: he was too hotheaded. He could never come up with a well thought-out plan nor have the patience to execute one.

And Kabuto told him so, "You might have the power, Naruto-kun, but you don't have any talent or skill. Quite frankly, you're not even worthy of being a shinobi." He could see Naruto's hands clench, his lips pulled back into a snarl. "Even as a weapon you're useless on your own. It is a wonder they still allow you in their rank. Or perhaps the Sandaime knew that this was how to keep you appeased and obedient until he needed your power. He surrounded you with friends and acquaintances just so he could control you. Anyone with even modest intelligence would have figured that out by now-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted. His hands flew in a familiar pattern. Kabuto was as surprised as anybody when the boy slapped his hand to the ground, creating the elaborate pattern of a summoning jutsu underneath him. For a moment Kabuto thought he miscalculated the boy.

What appeared, though, was a plate-sized toad, and Kabuto nearly laughed as Naruto shouted angrily at the offended animal. Truly, the boy was not good for anything... aside from maybe being a distraction.

"Tsunade-hime," he whispered into her ears as he pulled her back with him by the neck a fracture of a step, "please have a good look." He quickly pulled out a kunai and threw it at the toad. The target that it hit was, of course, Uzumaki Naruto who moved into the way to protect the small creature just in time. "You are quite noble, Naruto-kun," he said, "to take a poisoned kunai for a creature like that."

He heard gasps from all around. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Orochimaru smirking. Naruto grit his teeth as he pulled the kunai out, blood gushing from his wound. The toad danced frantically beside him. Shizune looked torn, like she wanted to move from where she was but knew that the moment she fell back, Kabuto would take Tsunade for good. Her reluctance prompted Kabuto to add, "I should tell you that one side effect of the poison is that it prevents blood from clotting. He can bleed to death even with that wound."

Even Jiraiya was starting to waver. He could get to Naruto, but he wouldn't see when Orochimaru made the move. The entire board was crumbling down just as Kabuto wanted. But he wasn't done yet. He needed Naruto properly rid from the game for good. "You see now what I'm saying, Naruto-kun?" he began. "You've put your goal in jeopardy by acting on your own impulses. You're nothing but a liability. You should have realized that there is nothing you can do to save anybody, let alone yourself." Kabuto smirked as he noticed the laboured breaths. Naruto was clearly agitated. It was going to make the poison work faster. The blood was smearing everywhere, serving as a trigger for Tsunade as well. Kabuto congratulated himself on a plan well executed.

Suddenly, he felt the surge of chakra coming from the boy, a chakra so sinister and rotten that Kabuto was startled. "Don't," the boy snarled with a voice that was almost half-beast, "underestimate me." He got on all four, crouching like an animal. His canine teeth looked almost like fangs and his nails like claws. The toad was getting away from him in great haste as the patterns began to emerge on his skin. The cursed seal was activated.

And Orochimaru was delighted.

Before Kabuto could formulate what to do, Naruto rushed at him on all fours at a speed that should have been impossible for that posture. He had no other choice but to pushed Tsunade to the side as he threw himself out of the way. Naruto landed on the rock meters behind him and crushed the thing to pieces. His body was engulfed in red chakra. He jumped back at Kabuto who quickly rolled away. He noticed his mistake then when Shizune moved in to retrieved Tsunade, and Jiraiya went for Orochimaru.

Kabuto tried to fall back, getting as close to Orochimaru as he could. They had to retreat. The power of the Nine-tails was not something they could handle with Ororchimaru's arms being as they were. But Naruto was fast. He was on Kabuto in seconds, straddling him to the ground. Kabuto took a few hits to his face, feeling his nose break, before he could gather enough concentration to hit Naruto back with a chakra scalpel to the chest. He didn't have a good aim, but it should disrupt the muscles' working and injure the lungs enough that Naruto wouldn't be able to breathe. Naruto, however, was resilient. Even with the blood loss, the poison, and now muscle rupture in his chest, he was still able to pin Kabuto down. It was irritating.

"You freak," Kabuto muttered before he was able to push back. Naruto was weakening, and he needed to take the opportunity. Kabuto quickly rolled them over, pulled out his kunai and went for the heart.

But before the kunai could fall, a great hit sent him flying off the boy until he hit a rock hard enough to black out for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Tsunade, surprisingly clean from the blood, kneeling beside Naruto who was writhing, choking on his own blood. Tsunade quickly turned him to the side to let the blood flow out of his mouth and began healing him.

Kabuto blinked. Tsunade was healing a blood-drenched Naruto. That shouldn't be possible.

He knew he couldn't capture her now, not when blood no longer had any effect on her. He wanted to stop her so at least his effort to kill Naruto wouldn't go to waste, but all he could do then was gather his chakra and heal himself. There were too many bones fractured and internal organs bleeding too badly for any pill he had. But using that much chakra would also mean game over for him. He no longer had any chance in this battlefield.

He looked over to see what was happening with Orochimaru. He honestly couldn't quite tell. The speed of the fight was incredible, but he could tell that Orochimaru was holding his own against Jiraiya. The problem would be when Tsunade finished healing Naruto and joined in the fight. He had to warn Orochimaru about her.

He managed to heal himself enough that he could get up and walk. Shizune eyed him warily, standing in a fighting stance to guard her master as Tsunade performed her task.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to fight you right now," he said as he rested against the rock. "I'm simply retreating."

"For now, you mean," Shizune hissed at him.

Kabuto smiled. He turned to the direction of the inhuman battle and shouted, "Orochimaru-sama, we must retreat."

There wasn't a sign that the fighting was going to stop. Then suddenly there was a loud bang. Orochimaru appeared on the rock, panting considerably as he looked at the newly made crater engulfing Jiraiya, then to Tsunade and Shizune guarding Naruto's unconscious form. The look on the Princess's face was enough to tell them how utterly pissed off she was.

"I guess there's no point of being here any longer. We shall meet again, my friends," he said before dissolving into the sand. Kabuto gave them one last look and tried to stomp down his disappointment. He'd gone through this much trouble and still couldn't heal Orochimaru's arms or kill the fox brat.

Well, there was always next time.

/***/

End of Chapter 14

**A/N:**

**AikahisakatuHogo-sha** *sniff, sniff* Yeah, there is a whiff there. I'm all for flexibility, though.

**TacitcalDubstep wildtrance** I know, right? ;)

**SithLordNilis** _You underestimate the power of the Dark Lord of Mordor, Sith. _(This reply is so nerdy, but I'm not even sorry. :D)

**SupernaturalHearts** Oh, good!

**ZyiareHellsing** Yay for the fluff. It's going to be the last one in a while, my friend.

**Alviniju** Bro, did we read the same psychology book? Coz, man, that's so spot on. I'm not a big fan of Kishimoto's villains because of the sap actually. The tragedies seriously does not define the person and yet it was his general explanation for why somebody turns bad. While it does work for Pain (because he was so thorough in setting Pain's background up), it really becomes redundant and watered down when used too many times (and by many times I mean more than once).

I really want to answer your speculations because, damn, that's really, really good. But it will come up in the story in due time, so hang in there.

**wierdsquirrelgirl** Roger!

**nekomode** Holy! *grab tissue and stuff it in the nose* Damn! Hokage Sasuke and ANBU captain Naruto getting it on would be super hot. Actually, Naruto and Sasuke getting it on in any setting is hot, but that is exceptionally hot. Kudos for the mental image!


	15. Chapter 15: Six Degrees of Separation

**A/N:** So, I'm going to be stuck with writing papers and such, so the editing is going to be terrible for a time (which sucks because we're about to reach an important part of the story T-T). I'm going to keep posting once a week anyway, because I'd really like to know what you guys think about these drafts, whether you think they're hitting the right emotional notes, and where the weak points are. I've tried to figure those out but my head is honestly not in the right place to do that at the moment and probably won't be for a few months yet. (This apply to any chapter, 14 especially.)

Warning for this chapter is the usual: violence, gore, and emotionally damaged people.

Replies to your comments/review, as always, are at the end of the chapter.

**Update 06/03/2016: **This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 15: Six Degrees of Separation**

_Again, Sasuke was running through the Uchiha district littered with bodies of the dead: his uncles, his aunts, his cousins. He couldn't stop himself even though he had run this path for what felt like a million times, even though he knew what awaited him at the end. He let out a sound of anguish as his small, wobbling legs led him even further into the district. They took him into his family house, into the room where he knew his parents' bodies were. But unlike that night, Sasuke would always arrived in time to see the blade cut into his mother and father. He would be there just fast enough to see their last moment but never fast enough to save them._

_"...There is not enough hatred..." said a voice that sounded like Itachi. And it would start all over again, and again, and again..._

Sasuke waited until the sound of his younger self crying faded in the distance, down the hallway in the room where his parents died. Here in the room next to the garden was much quieter, too quiet in fact. He had been here for what felt like an eternity, sitting on his legs until they had gone numb and bearing the long and quiet berating of his father. His father never displayed strong emotions. Even when he was angry, he barely raised his voice. His tone was no different from when he asked to see the report card. Back then, the smell of the flower in the garden outside would flood the room. Right then the only smell that touched his nose was of blood and rotten meat.

"You are a disgrace," said his father in his deep baritone voice. The snap at the end was enough to tell Sasuke how upset he was without even looking at the man. At a time like this, looking at his father was unbearable.

"I am sorry, Father," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"You cannot even look at us as we are now," his father continued. But Sasuke had looked and he didn't want to do it again. He got a glimpse of his father through his bangs only up to the man's knees. He could see his father's hands splayed unnaturally, fingers turned gray, and nails yellowed. They didn't look like human hands anymore.

"You cannot look at us because you are weak," said his father, "because you are indecisive. You said you will avenge us, but what have you been doing, Sasuke? You are still nowhere close to Itachi."

"I am sorry."

"Sorry is the vernacular of the weak."

The sharp tone made Sasuke bite the inside of his cheek.

There was a pause before his father spoke again with more restraint, but Sasuke could still tell how displeased he was. "Instead of honouring us by giving us the justice we deserve, you have been playing house with your teammates."

"I wasn't-"

"Silence, child. I have not yet finished."

Sasuke obeyed.

"You have abandoned your family and the Uchiha name in pursuit of a feeble dream," his father continued. There was disappointment in his voice. "I should have known, since you have always had a feeble mind. You have always been taken by your emotions more than your resolve. Like now, you pursue that child in hope of a new bond instead of honouring ours."

"Father, I would never-"

"Then why did you pursue him?" his father asked sternly.

Sasuke blinked. For a moment, he was at a loss. The reason that came to his mind sounded weak. "...Because...because Kakashi told me to," he said, unable to find any other answer.

"Is your teacher more important than your father?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, he's not."

"Is your friend more important than your family?"

Sasuke felt like he got punched in the gut. "No! Never!" he nearly shouted back.

"You must choose," said his father, "because the heart cannot be torn in two. You cannot love him _and_ us. It is him _or_ us."

"I will always choose you and mother," he replied. There was no other option Sasuke would ever consider. "How could you think I would betray you like Itachi did?"

Skeptically, his father replied, "Is that so? Why did you not do so from the beginning?"

Sasuke's hands curled into fists. "I did. I've always lived to avenge you."

There was a pause. Sasuke did not dare look up. He was still afraid of looking up. His father was still unimpressed. "Although you have decided, your heart is still weak," his father said. "You must defeat that weak heart of yours, crush it to pieces. Show us you will never turn back again."

There was an air of finality in his father's voice, and Sasuke knew that this was his last chance to prove himself worthy of his father's love, worthy of being an Uchiha. "Yes, Father, I will," he replied.

"I will believe you when that bond is severed, when we are the only thing you have," his father said.

"Yes, Father."

"Look at us when you say so."

After a long time, Sasuke looked up and stared right into the cold dead eyes of his father's and mother's corpses sitting on the cushions in front of him. Their heads tilted to the side like broken dolls, mouths hung open in silent scream. Sasuke's hands curled tighter until he could feel his palms bleeding. He willed himself to not look away, to stare in those eyes, clouded, yellowed, and dead, dead, dead...

"Yes, Father," he said.

/***/

She had waited nearly a month. It was so long that the moment Naruto told her that Tsunade was here, she had a hard time believing him. Then she was there. Around her hand was a green aura of her chakra as she placed it on Sasuke-kun's forehead. "He will wake up soon," Tsunade said. Sakura still couldn't quite believe her.

It was only when Sasuke actually opened his eyes that reality hit her. He was all right now. Sasuke-kun was all right.

She hugged him out of sheer relief that she had him back. He didn't say anything, didn't push her away. She thought it was a good sign. She only noticed something off when she pulled back, babbling about how they had all missed him, and he didn't respond with anything. He just sat there and stared blankly at the far wall.

"I'll go get Naruto," she offered. The blond boy was there just moments ago. Sakura had no idea where he went.

At the mention of Naruto, Sasuke's eyes sharpened. He still didn't look at her, but she didn't like how his eyes were boring into the wall. "You do that," he said, but his voice was devoid of emotion. The usual Sasuke-kun wasn't even this cold.

Sakura's instinct then was to flee. Something was really wrong, and that was the first thing she told Naruto upon meeting him. Naruto looked concerned. They quickly went back to the room, only to find Sasuke standing by the bed, flexing his muscles.

"Idiot, you're recovering. What are you doing out of bed?" Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the arm but his hand was roughly pushed away.

"Fight me," Sasuke said.

Confusion crossed Naruto's face. "Sasuke, your body isn't-"

"Are you scared of me?"

Naruto scowled. "Of course not, bastard. I just don't want to beat a weakling who just got out of a hospital bed, that's all," he said.

Sasuke-kun motioned Naruto to follow him. Naruto did. Sakura felt like she should get someone to stop these two, but she didn't want to lose sight of them. She followed them up to the hospital's roof, trying to stop them both. Naruto looked sympathetically at her, but Sasuke ignored her completely.

On the rooftop, Naruto finally spoke, "Right, can you tell me now what the hell this is about?"

Sasuke huffed. "I doubt you would be able to understand, Dead-last," he said.

Naruto grunted. Sakura could feel his temper flaring. "Try me," he said.

But Sasuke didn't say anything. He simply went into a fighting stance. Naruto was just as surprised as Sakura, but he took the stance as well.

After that was a blur of movements. Sasuke charged first, followed by Naruto. They clashed, arms blocking fists, before Sasuke jumped back. He didn't wait long to go into the taijutsu movement that he'd used in the prelim of the tournament. Naruto took all the blows. He was no match for Sasuke's speed.

The last blow sent Naruto's body flying into the wire fence. It was over, or so Sakura thought, but Sasuke didn't think so. He charged forward and jumped at the last second to deliver a finishing blow. In that instant, Naruto quickly went to a crouch and delivered a blow into Sasuke's torso that sent him flying back across the floor.

"The hell..." was all Naruto could say before he bent over and started coughing out blood. Sakura wanted to run over to check on him, but Sasuke's movement made her stop. Sasuke was on his feet, but his slightly bent torso told her that the kick had done some damage.

She looked back and forth between them and just couldn't take it anymore. "Stop it, you two!" she said as she got between them. "What's wrong with you, Sasuke? Why are you doing this?"

Sasuke wasn't looking at her at all. His eyes were fixed on Naruto. "Get out of the way, Sakura, or I'll finish you off, too," he said.

She could see that he meant his threat, but she stood her ground. "This is not how we fight!" she shouted.

Sasuke's eyes snapped to her. "Of course it is not. This is not the childsplay you call training!" He shouted. "I've had enough of the lot of you."

"What?" Naruto said. He had stopped coughing but Sakura doubted he could take another blow like that.

Sasuke's eyes, however, were still on Sakura. "Our training is just a joke," he said. "This whole team thing is just a joke."

"Sasuke-kun, don't say that!" she shouted back. "You know very well that shinobi need teamwork-"

He cut her off with a dry laugh. "For what? Playing house like we did?" he sneered. "You don't understand what it is to be strong. If you like to stay weak then fine, but I'm not going down with you!"

Sakura had had quite enough of him. "You're impossible!" she screamed. "What kind of monster are you to hurt your best friend like that!?" She pointed to Naruto for good measure. He was on his feet now, but he looked like death. Sakura's hand clenched at the thought that he was like that because of Sasuke.

What she didn't expect was Sasuke's reply, "I told you he is just an assignment."

Sakura's blood froze. "Don't you dare say that! You care-"

"Because Kakashi told me to. Get it into your head, Sakura. I don't care about the two of you anymore than I care about the flies outside my window."

That was it. Sakura couldn't contain her anger anymore and she charged, but Sasuke was too fast. He had never used that speed against her before and she was mad that he didn't. He was the one playing around, not Sakura. He was the one that thought everything was a joke. Sakura jumped back quickly to get out of his reach, but Sasuke followed, his arm swung back and she knew she wouldn't be able to dodge the blow.

Then she was suddenly knocked out of the way. She landed quite gracelessly but was grateful that she could get away at all. She looked back and saw Naruto staggering back from the effect of the attack that was meant for her.

But Sasuke didn't stop there. He went after Naruto, this time with his ninjutsu at full force. Sakura struggled to get away from the blaze of his fire ball and looked back in horror as the flame engulf the entire area. Amid the fire she spotted a bright blue light. Naruto, covered in burns, shot up from the middle of the flames with a ball of chakra in his hand so dense that it was clearly visible. He was fast, but Sasuke was faster. He grabbed Naruto's outstretched arm and swung him to the side. Naruto lost his footing and slid across the floor. The blue blaze created a long crater where his hand dragged across the surface.

Sasuke performed a series of signs and grabbed his elbow, and Sakura knew then that he meant it when he said he didn't care about them. He wouldn't use this jutsu if he did.

The sparkle of lightning flared. Sasuke swung his hand to the side and lunged for Naruto who got off the ground quickly, powered up another ball of chakra, and charged at his friend.

"NO," she shouted as she got up and tried to run towards them. "STOP IT!"

Before she could reach them, Kakashi-sensei appeared out of nowhere and threw the boys into the water tanks by their arms. Sakura barely had time to cover her ears before they crashed loudly, bending half of each tank. Sasuke's Chidori pushed the metal like they were thin sheets of paper, wriggled them into near unrecognizable shape, while Naruto's jutsu created a large circular dent on the tank.

The two boys could barely move from the impact, and Kakashi took that opportunity to reprimand them both. "Why are you two fighting up here?" asked Kakashi in his usual bored tone, but Sakura could tell that he was displeased. He was even more displeased when Sasuke just replied with a 'Tch' and pulled his hand out of the metal. Two sets of wires appeared out of nowhere and tied him to the tank before he could leave. Kakashi reappeared on top of the tank with a stern look on his face. "Did I not tell you that Chidori is not to be used against your comrades?" he said. "Were you planning on killing Naruto?"

Sasuke just let out another 'Tch' but otherwise didn't deny it. Sakura didn't believe jounin leaped down from the tank and came to stand in front of Sasuke. Sakura couldn't

Naruto got up from where he was kneeling then. His hand was barely buried in the metal. Kakashi turned to him and was about to say something, but Naruto jumped up the top of the fence and disappeared down the other side without a word.

"This is bothersome," muttered Kakashi before turning back to Sasuke, still tied to the tank. "I thought you two were good friends."

"He is not my friend," Sasuke replied, his voice cold. He had stopped fighting to get free from the wires, but it was clear that he still did not relent. "I don't need friends."

remember the last time he had such a disappointed expression on his face, but nothing showed in his voice as he said, "The only thing you get from lying to yourself is misery, Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura are your teammates. They are the closest thing you'll have to a family."

"Don't compare them to my family!" Sasuke replied through gritted teeth. "No one replaces them, especially not these pathetic wannabes."

Sakura's hand curled into a fist. She didn't know what had gotten into him, and at that point she no longer cared. Sasuke had gone too far. He had stomped on their team and their friendship like it was nothing, and Sakura absolutely could not forgive him.

Kakashi-sensei, however, just sighed. He looked more exasperated than angry. "No, there is not a single person in our lives who can be replaced, Sasuke. No matter how long they've been gone, a little part of them will always remain within us. And no matter how much time has passed, we will always feel the pain of losing them." Kakashi paused and closed his eyes. His shoulders drooped slightly and Sakura knew this was something close to his heart. "But it will get better with time. It never goes away, but you will learn to live with it."

Sasuke-kun huffed, his chin lifted high. "Like _you_ would know."

"Indeed," Kakashi replied. "I've lived through a turbulent time, Sasuke. The people I loved have all been killed. None of my teammates survived the War."

Sakura's attention snapped to Kakashi. There wasn't an inflection in his voice that would have given away his true emotion, and that alone spoke volumes. He was even smiling. Sakura's heart broke a little inside.

"The point is: life moves on. Even as we grieve, even as we rage, even as our world falls to pieces, it moves on. You can choose to seize it and be its master or you can choose to be its slave," Kakashi said before he released the wires. "I cannot make this decision for you, but I will stop you if your choice hurts the people that are important to me now. Do you understand?"

Sasuke didn't reply. He just pressed his lips together tightly before jumping down and disappearing through the door without a single look back.

Kakashi sighed. She got an impression that he was beyond tired, but as soon as he landed in front of her, he looked like the normal Kakashi-sensei again. "Are you alright, Sakura?" he asked like a concerned teacher would.

She nodded. "Just a few bruises," she said. She only realized then that her voice was trembling.

Kakashi patted her head gently as he said, "It will be alright. Meeting his brother probably stirred something nasty in him. He will understand what to do eventually. Have faith, Sakura."

She nodded, unable to articulate her reply for a moment. She was too mad and too concerned to actually say that, yes, she had faith in him. He was important to her, so no matter how complicated and infuriating he was, Sakura was going to stick by him, by them both. Her teammates were precious to her.

"Who are the important people to you now, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked as they made their way to the door.

At this the older ninja chuckled. "It's the three of you," he said before he opened the door for her.

/***/

The top of the Hokage Mountain was always quiet. The wind was strong enough that not many people came up here, especially at sundown. It was usually the place Naruto came to hide when his foster parents hit him or humiliated him. He hadn't been here in awhile, not since the Third set him up in an apartment of his own. Living by himself was like a dream come true back then. He no longer had to contend with the glares, the ill-concealed hatred, the shouting, the hitting. He could do whatever he wanted when he wanted. No one was there to punish him. For years his room was his sanctuary, but not anymore.

He watched as the sunlight faded and Konoha began to light up one house after another, one street after another. The village looked bright and beautiful. Naruto could almost hear the sound of people chatting as they walked down the street, everyone wanting to head back home to their family and loved ones. Sakura was probably home by now, so were Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, Shino... all of them, sitting at the dinner table ready for a meal together with their precious people. Naruto always ate alone, the only exception back in the Academy was Iruka-sensei. He might have been a hard-ass with Naruto most of the time, but sometimes, when he spotted Naruto alone in the playground at sun down, he would take him out to Ichiraku for dinner. Only then did Naruto have a glimpse of what could have been if he had someone to eat dinner with, someone like family.

His heart ached at that thought. Back then, Iruka-sensei was the only person aside from the Third who neither hated him nor dismissed him. He was neither the Nine-tails or a lost cause. Everything was different now that he was genin. He was so lost in Sakura-chan's chatter and Sasuke's company. He got used to having Kakashi-sensei pat him on the head for a job well done. With Team Seven around, the hateful stares were eclipsed by acknowledgement. The whispers of contempt were drowned by praise. Naruto had gotten so used to it that he had forgotten that those things were there. That, no matter what, he could not escape, not with dinner with Iruka-sensei, not with evenings listening the old man rambling on about one Hokage or the other, not with hotpots with Sakura and Sasuke. Those hatreds were real, were constant, were, in many ways, truer than anything else.

Naruto knew that, but he had tried to ignore it. When the truth came back, it hit him like a shuriken to the gut.

_Because Kakashi told me to... I don't care about the two of you anymore than I care about the flies outside my window._

He had thought he had found somewhere he belonged, even if it was a small little place with only a few people. People who ate dinner with him. People who helped him clean his room. People who shared their lunch with him. People who had been in near-death situations with him. People who wiped his face for him when he was dirty and put him to sleep clean and happy. People who made him felt like he meant something. But, of course, he was wrong. How could he forget so easily that he was not wanted, never wanted...and why.

_You are a weapon to be used and nothing more. If the Sandaime had treated you kindly, it was only so that he could use you later. _

_You were sealed up by the Hokage you admired, and you have been lied to by everyone._

_Were you planning on killing Naruto?_

Naruto could deal with being hated. He could deal with people wanting him dead. He could deal with people hurting him, hitting him, calling him names after nasty names. He could deal with being ignored. He could deal with being lonely.

_He is not my friend._

What he couldn't deal with was a broken heart.

/***/

After a check up and a lecture, Sasuke was released from the hospital late that afternoon. In all honesty, there was nothing wrong with him. His fight with Naruto proved that he was in tiptop shape, but he was ordered to rest for the next 24 hours, much to his displeasure. Itachi was out there, he didn't have time to idle around, but the doctor wasn't going to listen to his argument and told him to go home. That was not before Sakura found him, slapped him, and told him how much of a jerk he was. He wasn't entirely sure what she was hoping for by doing so, so he responded with a 'Hnn' which seemed to anger her even more. She stormed off without a single look back, and Sasuke was fine with that. He didn't need her. He needed to get stronger and she was only ever going to slow him down.

Sasuke got home, determined to do some reading in his prescribed downtime, and his eyes went to the couch. Sasuke didn't use the couch often, so normally the throw pillows would be set against the backrest. That day they were lying about haphazardly. Sasuke knew it was Naruto's doing. Naruto never bothered to put Sasuke's things back in place. It angered him to think that he had allowed the unruly boy to leave such an imprint in his life. He shouldn't have tolerated it. He walked over to the couch and set the throw pillows upright. Now that order was restored his life was back to what it should be.

A part of him, though, thought that there was something wrong with this picture of an orderly couch, of an orderly life. It looked devoid of movements or emotion. It lacked the spontaneity and haphazardness. It was like a model of a room that everyone thought looked nice but no one had the illusion that there was anyone living there. It was an idea of a room, an idea of a home, an idea of a life.

An idea... and nothing more than that.

His room was not like this when he was younger and living with his parents. It was messy, full of toys, crayons, and shurikens. His mother used to scold him for not keeping it clean. His father never seemed to mind as long as he could walk without the hazard of tripping over. Itachi barely stepped into his room anyway, so he never knew what his brother thought of it. He doubted Itachi actually cared.

He didn't have that kind of room anymore. He used his apartment as a place he slept in rather than live in, so there was barely any sign of an occupant. The only time this room felt like a home was when Naruto and Sakura came over. His team. His friends. Playing house.

Sasuke had never been content since his family died. He had restless nights and days and the feeling of incompleteness, but that night after the hotpot he felt all right. He felt like himself again before everything went to hell. Looking back, he felt like he indeed had betrayed his family. How could he be happy when his father and mother were dead? How dare he allow himself to be happy after their suffering?

He loved his family, loved them with all his heart and soul, and because of that he hated Itachi with all his heart and soul. That was why he knew killing Itachi wouldn't make him happy. He would never be happy again even if justice was served, because he would never have them back. By living in rage and hate, he was mourning them, giving them a proper place in his life. If he stopped, they would truly be gone. If he no longer mourned them, there would be no proof that they existed in this world.

_No matter how much time has passed, we will always feel the pain of losing them. But it will get better with time. It never goes away, but you will learn to live with it._

He lived with that pain. He lived _for_ that pain. Nothing else should matter. Nothing else was important.

_Even as we grieve, even as we rage, even as our world falls to pieces, life moves on. You can choose to seize it and be its master, or you can choose to be its slave._

He had a goal and he pursued it with all his might. Did that not make him the master of his own life? What if he had to leave Team Seven and Konoha to do it, wasn't that taking control of his destiny?

But it also led him here, to the room that was an idea of a home, to a life that he wasn't entirely sure if it really was a life... or simply an idea of one.

_I just want a simple life. I was going to be a so-so ninja and earn an okay salary, marry a regular girl and have two kids, then I'll retire when my kids become independent and play shogi in my relaxing retirement. Those are just the things I want to wake up to everyday, that's all._

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the life he wanted. He tried to think of revenge for his family, what it would be like to get up in the morning knowing the person who killed his clan was dead.

As he tried to imagine the rest of his life, he kept going back to the hotpot. He could smell the soup, hear the chatter. He could hear Naruto's laughter, light and bright, as Sasuke pinned him down on the couch and started a brief tickle war after learning that Naruto was ticklish. He had never seen Naruto so happy and carefree before. He had never felt that happy either.

_There is not a single person in our lives who can be replaced, Sasuke._

In his mind's eye the only thing he could see was a pair of bright blue eyes.

/***/

End of Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**Reign Of Sorrow** And much thanks to your continual support! Yeah, the boys are too inexperience to realize what's going on, I think. I mean, attractions are easy to notice, but love is much more subtle. Actually, don't ask me. I'm not even sure I got it pinned.

**Nuria Sato** I'm glad you like it! There won't be any overt NaruSasu/SasuNaru stuffs for a while yet...and I do mean a really long while, so I hope I'm not going to bore you to death before that. See you around. :D

**nekomode** Chapter 14 is pretty crappy, isn't it? I think the problem, aside from the lack of editing which I will get back to later, is the fight scene at end that throws the entire chapter out of pace with the rest of the story. I have so much problem writing it because the core drama of the fight isn't even about Naruto or Sasuke at all. I tried to make it about Naruto but it still comes out flat (because it fundamentally wasn't. Naruto was unconscious for the most part in the canon). Also I used Kabuto's POV whom I have no idea how he ticks, but I know I need his POV for later. (It really says something when I have an easier time with Orochimaru than Kabuto, isn't it?) I honestly don't know how to fix this one. I'm all open to suggestions on how to make it better.

P.S. I am not the Dark Lord but simply his humble servant. *flash rows of blackened teeth*

**AikahisakatuHogo-sha** I've always got the feeling that Sasuke was actually running after Naruto in that scene, but he's just too stuck up to admit that even to himself. *roll eyes* So...Naruto has a choking fetish?

**ZyiareHellsing** The reply is in chapter 13.

**SithLordNilis** _Mortal fool! Do you think you can defeat the masters of forces with your petty tricks?_

(By the way, unless we go somewhere with this, it is going to get seriously boring by the next bout. You got to give me some signal here about how much you know about the Lord of Rings universe (like, are you familiar with the books, or the movies, or Silmarillion, or the Unfinished Tales, or the History of Middle-earth?). Me with Star Wars is Episode 4-6 and that's it. I don't know anything about the universe that expanded from the movies. I also refuse to acknowledge the existence of Episode 1-3 and will cover up any mention of that three movies with a nazgul scream.)

**SupernaturalHearts** Thank you. Your support is what keeps me going, really. If you don't know what to review, you can point out the weak points in the writings or leave some suggestions as well. :D


	16. Chapter 16: Walk Away

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the feedback from the last chapter! I got a good idea now what to improve on 14 and 15, especially progression of Sasuke's emotional state which has been choppy that are also present in this chapter, too.

No particular warning for this one except for lack of editing and all the feels.

**Update 06/03/2016:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 16: Walk Away**

He didn't move as he felt four chakras approaching him. In the back of his mind, he had been waiting for this since he was little: the day they would come forth and kill him.

He was waiting for a kunai, or maybe chakra, wire when a female voice greeted him, "Uzumaki Naruto." Her accent sounded unfamiliar. He glanced back and saw four ninja dressed in light-color clothes. One of them had two heads, the other two sets of arms. Naruto realized then that they weren't from Konoha. No such monsters would be allowed to walk the streets, terrifying civilians and children.

"What do you want?" he said. He left himself wide open, not caring what they might do. If they'd really wished him harm, they'd have acted already, not that Naruto particularly cared.

The girl stepped forward as she reached into her chest pocket. "We're here with a token of goodwill from Orochimaru-sama," she said as she handed a picture to him. Naruto's attention perked up at the name Orochimaru. Curious, he took the photo cautiously and looked. It was actually torn out of a team picture. In it was a boy in his teens with blond shaggy hair and bright blue eyes. Naruto blinked. This boy looked so familiar, yet Naruto had never seen him before. The girl continued, "This is the only picture Orochimaru-sama happened to have of your father."

Naruto's eyes snapped to her face immediately. "How come he has a picture of my father?" he asked.

The two-head guy spoke then, "Orochimaru-sama was once a member of the Leaf and a friend to the sannin Jiraiya. Your father was Jiraiya's student and this photo was given in an exchange during the time they were training genin."

"How come that pervert never told me that?" Naruto said as he looked down. His father couldn't have been much older than him in the picture. His smile was bright and carefree. "What's his name?"

"Namikaze Minato," said the biggest guy in the group. Naruto looked at him and gaped. He knew that name. "He was, as you know, the Fourth Hokage," the guy finished exactly what Naruto had been thinking, though too doubtful to really believe it.

"They never told me this," Naruto said. He felt like this throat was closing up but at the same time his chest felt like it wanted to burst. "HOW COME THEY NEVER TOLD ME THIS!?" He was up pacing now. He couldn't stay still anymore. How dared they do this to him? How dared they keep him in the dark about his own family?

"Konoha does this to shackle you," said the guy with four arms. "They isolate you from the village by keeping this secret, in order to control you. They place their own people around you to ensure they can influence you. In this way, you don't become a threat to the Hokage or to the Council."

Naruto didn't want to believe it, but it made sense. It made perfect sense.

But it also begged the question. "Why would Orochimaru want to tell me this if he didn't want to do the same?" he asked. Orochimaru might be the enemy of Konoha, but that didn't mean he didn't want the same thing.

"Orochimaru-sama has never seen eye-to-eye with Konoha in this matter," said the girl. "For him, power should not be suppressed."

"That is not to say monsters don't need some level of control. The damage would be too great. But someone like Orochimaru would rather let them grow," added the two-head.

Naruto snorted. "In essence, he collects freaks to be his pets," he said. The four glared at him as he looked at them one by one, challenging them to say something to the contrary. It would be hard to do, given the evidence standing in front of him.

"Unlike pets that are kept in cages, Orochimaru-sama actually lets us come out and play," said the four-arms, "like now."

The guy was in his face before Naruto could channel his chakra to his legs and make a run for it. The two left arms grabbed him and tossed him away from the cliff and into the three awaiting shinobi. Naruto quickly made a clone and used it as a leverage to jump in midair and gave the big guy a kick to the face. He used the giant's body as a springboard to jump at two-head, dispatching his clones to the four-arm at the very same time.

He almost punched the two-head in one of his face when the guy dodged him by a mere inch, twisted around, and grabbed his leg. He heard the clones disappear from the four-arm's attack and cursed as he was hung by the ankle.

"Not bad," said the girl. "But why didn't you send your clones to fight me?"

Naruto huffed.

"Don't tell me that it was because I'm a girl. That pisses me off," she said as she walked forward and punched Naruto in the stomach hard enough for the air in his lung to _whoosh _out. The two-head dropped him, and all Naruto could do was curl on the ground coughing out the bile. "Geez, is he really the Nine-tails? I was expecting a lot more than this."

"Can't help it, I suppose. Konoha couldn't have him become too strong."

"What a waste."

Naruto could feel his chakra flare with his temper. His neck itched again, and this time he let it. It was probably the first time he consciously let the cursed seal activate as he opened up his chakra channels. The four jumped back in surprise as he pushed himself up from the ground. "Should have told me you want to see the Nine-tails," he said with a chuckle. His voice turned half-beast. He ramped up his chakra some more. The air around him seemed to glow dimly red. His body ached but he didn't care. "What now? You're not going to say hi?" he said before lunging forward.

He went right for the girl first since she wanted a fight so badly. It felt like time slowed down around him. He kicked her in the stomach and watched her body fly over the rocky floor for meters. The four-arm came at him, but he quickly dodged up, jumping above his head to get a clear view of his back. Naruto knew he could kill him then. A kunai to the neck would do it, but that would be no fun. Instead, he gave him a powerful downward kick to the spine that sent the four-arm to the ground.

He was going to go for two-head but the man raised his hand. "That's enough, Naruto-kun. We're not here to fight you," he said. "Also, put that cursed seal away. Anymore than that and it would eat you up completely."

Naruto didn't listen to him. He charged, but the guy suddenly disappeared and the next thing he knew he was pinned on the ground with a force that would have smashed him in half if he wasn't using the Nine-tail's power. Naruto twisted his neck back and what he saw then was two-head with half his body littered with the dark ugly marks that looked similar but not quite like his.

"You're not the only monster in this world, Naruto-kun," said the girl as she stood up, flaring her own cursed seal. Four-arm did the same and so did the giant. "Nor are you the only one shackled."

Naruto watched as their collective power grew, took in the look on their faces. There was no shame there but pride. They were monsters, but they weren't hiding. They weren't afraid.

Naruto slowly let his chakra drop to the normal level and the seal retracted. He knew he couldn't fight them. There wasn't a point. "What do you want?" he asked.

"We are here to extend Orochimaru-sama's invitation to you to join the Sound. What you want to do with it is for you to decide," said the giant. "We will await your answer here at midnight." And with that they were gone, leaving Naruto face down on the rock floor alone with his thoughts.

/***/

It was already eleven at night. Her mother always said that a decent young lady would never wander about in the dark at such an hour. But Sakura was not a decent young lady. She was a kunoichi. She did things that her mother would have been appalled at and acted in a way her father would never approve. A year ago she would have cared. Right then she didn't.

She watched Naruto disappear from the hospital's rooftop and she knew she had to speak to him, but he was nowhere to be found the entire afternoon. Sakura had to be home in the evening at the dinner table to appease her parents. They weren't very happy that she was too quiet and withdrawn. They had asked her what happened. She was foolish enough to tell them.

Hence, she was trapped in a long drawn out argument with her parents. It was clear to her then that they didn't want her to have anything to do with Naruto. She huffed and puffed and said that he was her friend and friends were supposed to help each other. They pulled out the fact that he was a boy and so she should not associate herself so closely with him less he did something bad to her. She was shocked by this accusation and told them that Naruto was a decent person and that if he wanted to do something bad, he would have already done it.

_That_ was another foolish move, because now her parents started to interrogate her about every mission she had been on, about Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun. Sakura was too tired to keep this charade of the perfect daughter any longer, so she told them everything. She told them about Wave Country and how she helped stage a revolution. She told them about her team's training and brawling that helped get the tension out. She told them about every punch she got from and every punch she landed on her enemies. She watched with delight as their faces turned white as a sheet. At the end of it, their only response was that she would have to stop.

Sakura laughed one of her most cynical laughs and said, "I can't and I won't. And you can't stop me. I'm a kunoichi. You can try to put me under locks and keys but I will break every single one of them." At that she stood up without their permission. "Tou-san, Kaa-san, goodnight," she said before storming out of the house. It was really late by then, but she knew she still had to find Naruto. She knew she couldn't leave him alone after what Sasuke had said and done.

What she didn't expect was to find him walking the dark alley at night with a pack on his back, looking like he was about to go on a mission outside of the village. But Sakura knew for a fact that they didn't have any mission, let alone one that required them to travel at night. "Naruto, wait!" she shouted and startled him. He looked like he wanted to bolt, but she grabbed his arm before he could. "Where are you going?" she asked.

He just looked at the ground and said, "I'm getting out of everybody's hair," then he pulled his arm away from her grip.

She wouldn't let him. "Don't say that. You're not... Naruto, you're a part of Team Seven. You can't just leave us!"

"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei can find a replacement," was his reply.

"Don't be stupid. There is no replacement, okay?" He turned away but Sakura grabbed his shoulders and turned him back towards her. "Naruto, please look at me." She waited until he did. "Forget what Sasuke-kun said. You've always said he's a jerk and you're right. So please don't take him too seriously. He'll get over his problem and everything will be back to normal."

The next thing that he said shocked her, "What if I don't want things to be back to normal?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked.

There was a sad tugged at the corner of Naruto's mouth. "You think I've always been all right, don't you?" he said. His eyes hardened even with a small smile on his face, like there was a mask there. Sakura had to admit that this expression looked familiar. She realized then that it was the one Naruto had always worn during the Academy. "What if I tell you I was never all right? What are you going to do? I don't want the past, Sakura-chan, because I hate it."

The anger in his voice made her chest clench. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know. Just tell me what you need, please." Her voice trailed off in both shock and anger, anger at herself that she had never seen his pain. What kind of a teammate was she?

"Well," Naruto started, his tone was light and odd, "Will you be mine then, Sakura-chan?"

She stared at him. Her brain seemed to not comprehend what he said.

"Be mine as in going out with me, holding hands with me, warming the bed with me. That's what I want. Will you give me that? Because if you can't then I have to go."

"Naruto," she said, her voice broken, "you can't use that kind of thing as a bargain. That's blackmailing."

"But that's what I want with you," he countered like a needy child.

"But I don't love you like that," said Sakura. "I'm sorry. I'd do anything to make you stay, but I won't do it on a lie, Naruto. You wouldn't want me to lie, right?"

"You're right, Sakura-chan, I don't," he said. Even with his face obscured by the shadows , she could tell that he was about to break. "I'm the biggest jerk of them all, aren't I?"

"Naru-," that was the only thing she managed to say before he grabbed her arm and turned her to the side. Before she could react, she felt a sharp hit to the back of her neck.

The last thing she heard was, "I'm sorry," before her world turned completely black.

/***/

It was one in the morning when Sasuke heard the loud knock on his bedroom window. He got up from bed and grabbed his kunai before pulling back the curtain. Outside of the window was Chouji.

"Get prepared, Uchiha. Hokage-sama just called an emergency meeting. Naruto's gone."

For a split second, Sasuke couldn't understand what Chouji was saying. The surge of panic that followed when his brain finally understood the meaning made him bolt for his closet. He pulled on extra layers of clothes for the night wind and put on his shoes before rushing out with Chouji. If the Hokage called an emergency meeting, then something serious must have happened. He could almost see Itachi's Sharingan in his mind's eyes.

Sasuke felt sick. He wanted more detail. He wanted to know what happened, but he doubted Chouji knew the full details. He kept his mouth shut on their way to the Hokage's tower. As soon as they arrived, they were led into the meeting room, or rather, in Sasuke's opinion, a war room. The Hokage was there talking sternly to Jiraiya and Kakashi. There were a bunch of jounin pouring over a map and one manning the radio. In one corner was Sakura sitting with Ino. She looked rattled.

Sasuke quickly made a beeline towards her. "What happened?" he asked. Sakura looked up at him. On her face was anger, sadness, frustration, and just...despair. Utter, utter despair. Ino was about to say something, but the Hokage called them over to her desk. In the room was also Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru in a new chuunin vest.

He didn't have time to get jealous over Shikamaru being promoted because the Hokage's voice boomed. "Thanks for coming at an unholy hour like this. We got a state of emergency here. What I am going to tell you is considered top secret and so not to be repeated among yourselves or with others outside this room, got me?" They nodded. "Right, first things first, as all of you have already been told, Naruto is gone. We don't know where he's heading or if there was someone else with him. I've dispatched the ANBU to secure the perimeter in case we could catch him."

"Isn't that excessive?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. He could feel stink eyes looking his way. "I mean he's a genin."

The Hokage looked at him and said, "Not if the genin is the Nine-tail vessel."

Sasuke nearly bit his tongue when his jaw suddenly snapped shut. His brain froze. Naruto… what?

"As you all know, the Nine-tailed demon fox that attacked Konoha thirteen years ago was defeated by the Fourth and sealed away. For the safety of the vessel, the Third issued a decree for the identity of the vessel or the whereabouts of the Nine-tail to never be spoken of. It didn't make the fact that Naruto is the vessel a complete secret, though."

It made sense to Sasuke then why so many hateful eyes were aimed at Naruto when they were children. Sasuke never really associated himself with Naruto back then, partly because he could tell that parents didn't like their children being around the boy and Sasuke, by instinct, simply followed suit. He had never questioned why, not even years later when his parents were no longer there for him to please.

"We have on good authority that Orochimaru is behind this," the Hokage continued. "He is one of the sannin and leader of the Sound. He is also responsible for the attack on Konoha during the Chuunin Exam and the death of the Sandaime. This man is too dangerous. We can not let him have Naruto."

"Was he kidnapped?" asked Shikamaru. If there was a time Sasuke heard urgency in his voice, it was then.

The Hokage took a deep breath and sighed, "No," she said in a voice much softer than she had used so far. "We have a witness to him leaving the residence area. He was alone at the time and was definitely leaving on his own."

"When was this?" Sasuke asked.

"Around eleven, so two hours ago."

Two hours, the Dope couldn't be far off. "Wasn't any team dispatched to get him?" he asked, no, demanded. The sickness in his stomach had just gotten worse and worse.

"We tried to track him. The furthest we can go was the Hokage's mountain. After that, there wasn't a trace of his scent."

"Then there has to be someone with him. That dope couldn't do that by himself. Have you fin-"

"Enough, Uchiha!" said the Hokage. Her voice basically shut everyone in the room up. "Don't you think I've gone through all the options? The ANBU is out there now trying to find something, anything at all, to go on. The jounin are mapping out possible routes. But the area is wide. Finding someone in that kind of area without the scent is near impossible, or he would be home by now!"

The anger in her voice told Sasuke that this was, to an extent, personal to her. Tsunade cared about Naruto and was doing all she could. He quickly shut his mouth and nodded.

"But, why?" came the shy, trembling voice of Hyuuga Hinata. "I don't understand why he would leave for Orochimaru. What is it that he wants that he can't have here?"

That was the first time that night that he heard Sakura spoke, "That would be me."

All eyes were on her then. Sakura was standing next to the Hokage's desk with Ino's arm around her shoulders.

"I... I met him when he was walking away from his apartment. I saw that he had a pack on so I ran after him and tried to tell him not to leave. He told me... he told me he wouldn't if I'd be his, but... but I don't like him that way, so I said so, and he left," she said. That was when she began to cry. "I should have just said yes."

Tsunade patted Sakura gently on the head as she said, "It is not your fault, Sakura. You're not obligated in anyway to use yourself as a bargain. It was wrong for him to ask that of you," but Sakura's sobbing didn't let up.

"It's probably not what really drove him to leave in the first place, Sakura," said Kakashi, "He hadn't flirted with you for some time now, right?"

"Since the Chuunin Exam," said Sakura as she tried to steady herself.

The mention of the Chuunin Exam brought back Sasuke's memory of Naruto crying at full force. _That_ was when Naruto's attitude towards Sakura really changed. He still cared about her greatly, but he wouldn't try to sit next to her or be overly familiar with her like he used to. He had been pulling away and Sasuke didn't notice it.

But if not that then what? What drove him so much that he had to leave? He was happy the day they had hotpot together. What could have-

_He is not my friend._

Sasuke's eyes widened and his stomach dropped as pieces of the puzzle that was Uzumaki Naruto clicked into place. If he had eaten anything, it would have come out then. "It was me," he muttered. Suddenly all eyes were on him. He looked up at every surprised expression when he said it again, allowing it to sink into his mind, "It was me."

Chouji and Shikamaru looked positively furious. Hinata and Kiba just looked like he had spoken a different language. Sakura looked at him and looked away. He didn't want to see what kind of expression Jiraiya and Kakashi had. The Hokage, while surprised, schooled her expression so that there was nothing but professionalism. "Would you like to elaborate, Sasuke?"

"We fought," he began; "And I told him he wasn't my friend."

It wouldn't have had such a devastating effect on anyone with a family to love them, to be there when no one would. But Naruto didn't have one. The people who had loved him and treated him like family were dead. The majority confused the boy with the demon he contained. That was why no one showed him kindness.

"I said I didn't care about him."

Then in the Chuunin Exam, he did transform into a monster in front of everyone he cared about. He thought he had lost them. But he didn't, did he? Shikamaru and everyone treated him the same. Sasuke and Sakura treated him the same.

But Naruto didn't treat Sakura the same, because he had become the monster he was afraid of becoming. That was why he cried.

_They acknowledge me. That's enough._

That was why he settled for never being loved. That was why he said recognition was enough. Naruto thought he couldn't have more than an acknowledgement from his comrades and he tried to be fine with that.

Sasuke's memory went back to the hotpot, the first and only time Team Seven were around each other like they were long suffering siblings. Naruto had such a pretty smile that night, because for a time he had more. Sasuke gave him more than he thought he could have. That was why Naruto was so happy.

Then Sasuke cruelly took it away.

_I don't care about the two of you anymore than I care about the flies outside my window._

"You were right, Sakura," he said, looking at her straight in the eyes, because she deserved to know this. "I am the monster."

She looked like she was about to cry again, but she pressed her lips tightly and narrowed her eyes at him. Sasuke took her anger and accusation. He deserved it.

"Hokage-sama," he said, turning to Tsunade and meeting her eyes, hoping that she could see his sincerity there, "Please allow me to find Naruto."

"Wait a minute," said Kiba; "If Naruto leaving was your fault, what makes you think he'll come back if you go after him?"

"Because this is the only way to fix this," countered Sasuke. "He will never come back if I don't do something."

Kiba huffed. "If you're the one leaving, he might," he said.

"All right, boys, that's enough," said the Hokage as she looked around. "The reason I called you all here is because as his friends you have more chance of getting through to him. Hinata here volunteers to use her Byakugan. But from what I've heard, you want to go in her stead, don't you, Neji?"

Kiba and Hinata looked surprised at this. Actually all of them did, especially after Neji said, "Yes. If we are up against those of Orochimaru, this mission would be too dangerous for Hinata-sama. I would like to volunteer my service instead."

"Neji-niisan!"

"She is precious to the clan and therefore I cannot risk her," he said before turning to Hinata and bowing. "I beg forgiveness in imposing my will, but if you want to defy your destiny, you must live to do so, Hinata-sama."

At this, she became speechless. It was Kiba who said, "Thanks." He fidgeted. "You're a nicer guy than I thought."

Neji didn't dignify the dog boy with a reply, but Sasuke spotted a quirk at the corner of his lips. Sasuke wouldn't say he was shocked, but it was definitely not something that he foresaw. Neji had come to believe that Hinata could be more than she was even after he nearly killed her in rejection of the very same idea during the prelim.

"Right," said the Hokage, commanding them to divert their attention back to her, "so the team will consist of Neji, Sasuke, Shino, Chouji, and Kiba. Shikamaru will be your captain. As soon as we get any lead for which direction Naruto has taken, you will be dispatched immediately, so get ready."

"Get ready right now actually," said Jiraiya, who had been quiet the whole time. He was crouching down on the floor with a toad at his feet. "We got a lead."

/***/

End of Chapter 16

**A/N: **Gosh, trying to get thirteen-year-old Naruto to say something both ominous and sexual makes me really uncomfortable (and it's not even as good as I want it to be).

**DarkRay9** If I can find a way to make summon battles feel personal then I totally will write some. It just doesn't click for me at the moment. I don't have a concrete plan for Sakura's romance, but there's one character that have a surprising chemistry with her in my drafts after the Valley of the End (not Sai, if you're curious), so maybe something might happen later.

**stay-stark** Wow, thank you for your comments. It's really lovely to get to see how the readers react to what I wrote. So, wow, thank you for taking your time to write them for me. Yeah, getting the tense wrong is sort of my thing, because my first language doesn't have tenses (we use time phrases to indicate past, present, or future), so it has been really hard for me to actually see the slip, but I'm trying! Believe it!

I love Iruka, too. I actually think he's _the_ most important person in Naruto's life, but sometimes we don't see that because Naruto's friendship with Sasuke is way more intense. He's so under-appreciated that I think we'll see how important he truly is only when he's not there. Hence the premise of the story, really. And, yes, My impression of Naruto's and Sasuke's relationship in the canon is that they are in a really intense friendship that defies all definition of friendship known to man, but I love the idea of them as a couple. So I totally get what you're saying, and you're welcome. :)

I had two soft tissue injuries to my joints, actually. One to the wrist, the other to the knee. Those were interesting experiences because they were such minor things. I did not break anything at all, so to complain about them made me feel like a wimp. Yet the body never forgets them, ever. As a young person, there was some part of me that thought my body was invincible. Surely it would be able to heal perfectly from something as lame as soft tissue injuries. But I was utterly wrong. Mortality is not necessarily about death for me after that.

Sasuke's inability to communicate is actually also my personal experience, again. :P Communication skill doesn't rank very high in being 'Asian cool' (which Sasuke totally embodied), so I want to poke fun at that a little. Coz, man, not being eloquent in a North American university sucks big time.

I don't think I mentioned Sasuke's Sharingan at all in the Wave Country arc, did I? I think it was because of me using Kakashi's POV and he didn't see the Sharingan during the fight. That's the downside of restricting POVs, but I really like that restriction. I'm glad you like it, too. And thanks for pointing that out.

Oh, Sakura. I understand why she got ditched or turned into a caricature in a lot of fic, though. Kishimoto did that to her too. She is a third-wheeler in the team dynamic most of the manga, which makes me a little sad whenever I notice that because, hey, she's a part of Team Seven too. As much as I love Team Seven as they are, it is just not fair to her. That's why I want to try to include her into the team as much as possible. From your comment I take that it is working, right?

Muse can hit me as hard as she wants after April. Right now, we're not talking.

**enRei** Thank you. VotE is coming up!

**wildtrance** I'm all for locking Sasuke in a room with Naruto and let them just kiss this one out... No wait, I do plan to write that down the road.

**SharinRaven876** Sasuke is going to pay for this for a long-ass time. And yeah, I don't like Sakura in the manga either. I don't know if that's a cultural bias or not because where I came from girls are more obsessed with themselves than with boys, so that's the way I know how to write teenage girls. Glad that at least you're okay with it. :)

**ZyiareHellsing **OMG, did you just go Gai-sensei on me? I nearly choked on my tea from that! :D

**SithLordNilis** Okay, if you are just going to keep repeating the threats without going anywhere with this, may I advise you to stop? Me continuing this story or not doesn't depend on you anyway, so you might as well just suck it and save yourself the time and everybody else the few bytes in their bandwidth from having to load your uninspiring comment.

And if you think I'm going stop first you're sorely mistaken. You don't go shouting death threat in somebody's house and not expecting a loaded gun to your face, do you?

**Stacy20** Will do! :)

**SupernaturalHearts** It's okay. I'm really glad you enjoy this story. I thought the same about Kakashi, too. I don't know if he thought Sasuke understanding it intellectually was enough or he simply can't open himself up at that level (my headcanon is the latter). But, yeah, he definitely could have done more, not only for Sasuke but also for Naruto.

**nekomode** Here comes the long awaited detailed observation from nekomode! I honestly thought you write because you are so, so damn good at picking up the nuance I thought you got to be practicing a lot. But a feedback from someone who's more on the reader side of the spectrum is just as valuable if not more so, because it's less likely to be over thought (or at least that has been the case in my limited experience).

\- Point on dialogue-heavy part duly noted. And yes, there is never enough mindfuck. *rub hands*

\- Gosh, okay, so the fight scene was better than I thought. I was afraid the emotion didn't hit hard enough (which seems to be the general theme in chapter 15), but I wasn't sure if that really was the case or is my brain tuned to logic too much right now. (Cannot-Edit-Emotion)

-Mission accomplished on the last line in Naruto's emo scene at least. Yeah!

-You got it right on what Sasuke's scene should be, but I guess I wasn't that clear about it myself when I wrote it so I might have gone from self-doubt to regret a little too fast. Sasuke's emotional progression around these few chapters definitely need some work.

**ougley** Here, have a cup of chocolate. It's going down hill from here.

**Hogo-sha** Oh, Sasuke wouldn't take it out on Sakura, because she doesn't matter (well, at least not as much as Naruto). Naruto randomly mentioning to Sasuke that Itachi is hot would be gems. I totally want to see Sasuke's reaction to that. Maybe Naruto would do that to get Sasuke jealous? (Although, Naruto is not that conniving, I don't think... or is he?)

**wierdsquirrelgirl** I'm pretty sure it's going where you think it's going.


	17. Chapter 17: Mighty Long Fall

**A/N:** And we are finally at the Valley of the End. (And Mighty Long Fall is the perfect soundtrack in my humble opinion.)

Warning for violence and some amount of gore.

**Update 25/11/2015:** This chapter is now vastly improved with the help of Ashimodo.

**Chapter 17: Mighty Long Fall**

It was nearly three in the morning when search party finally set foot out of Konoha. The village had never seemed quieter, but the atmosphere had never been more tense.

Jiraiya and Kakashi didn't even come to see them off. Their resources were stretched so thin with the search and the threat that Orochimaru might strike again. The attack was very unlikely, according to Jiraiya, but no one was taking any risk, especially when the Fifth Hokage just came into office and especially not after a jounin team had already engaged with the enemy.

They headed straight for the location of the attack right away, but it still took them over an hour to get to Shizune, Raido, and Genma. While no one was seriously injured, it was clear that the enemies were skilled, all four of them. Sasuke burned their description into his memory as Shikamaru discussed possible routes with Genma. They got a confirmation at that point that the enemy ninja were definitely heading for the Land of Sound.

Sasuke had enough patience to stay quiet only up to the point when Shikamaru was done talking. Without any precursor, he asked, "What about Naruto? Did you see him? Was he all right?"

Genma shook his head. "No, we didn't see him. There was just the four of them, but they were carrying something."

"A coffin," said Raido.

Sasuke's blood froze. A coffin? But they could not have killed Naruto, could they? He was the Nine-tails vessel. If he died...

"It was covered with seals. There was definitely something going on there," Raido continued. "We should have exhausted them somewhat. You guys have to catch up fast."

At that they all nodded and took their leave. Shikamaru had Kiba and Neji taking the lead. He was stationed right behind, followed by Shino and Chouji. Sasuke was to be the last in the formation to keep track of movements in case they were ambushed. Sasuke wanted to object to that, but he knew Shikamaru had a reason for setting the formation the way he did, so he just nodded.

"Our goal is to take the coffin back with us. Don't worry about destroying the enemy, all right?" Shikamaru said, looking at each of them to make sure they fully understood what he was saying. Sasuke personally wanted to slit every one of the Sound nins' throats, but he knew that Shikamaru was right. Their goal was taking Naruto back and they had to focus on that. He hated to admit it, but Shikamaru really was a damn fine team leader.

It took them another hour and a half of tracking before Neji finally gave the signal that he spotted the enemies. The team went down to the ground before planning their attack. They decided to split into three. Shikamaru would go with Neji to scout ahead. Kiba and Shino would back him up. Sasuke and Chouji would be the team to steal the coffin and get back to Konoha as fast as they could. Sasuke would rather be on the fighting team, but he only needed to look at Shikamaru to understand this arrangement. Sasuke had to be there to convince Naruto to stay.

The sky was beginning to glow purple at the horizon when they moved in, and all hell broke loose from there. The two fighting teams were trapped in an Earth jutsu, leaving Sasuke and Chouji to actually get in and fight them. Chouji was able to release the rest of the team by attacking the weakest point in the Earth prison, guided by Shikamaru, while Sasuke distracted the giant. By then, the others had left with the coffin and the team had to leave Chouji behind in order to pursue them.

The next was the spider, the natural enemy of the bugs. Shino made it his personal goal in taking this guy down. Kiba wasn't thrilled by this, but they knew they had to move on fast. They managed to catch up with the rest of the Sound ninja just ten minutes later with Kiba going for the two-head and Shikamaru going for the girl. That meant Neji and Sasuke could take the coffin.

That was when the fifth one appeared out of nowhere and took the coffin right from their hands.

Sasuke quickly ramped up his chakra and chased after the coffin, but the fifth ninja, Kimimaro, was too fast for him to overtake completely. Sasuke only managed to catch up with him when Kimimaro suddenly stopped in a meadow. He rushed forward and swung a kick to the head. Kimimaro blocked him easily, forcing Sasuke to fall back to where Neji emerged from the tree line.

"You must be Uchiha Sasuke," said the white-haired nin. His eyes fixed on Sasuke. "You are the one Orochimaru-sama wanted."

In all honesty, Sasuke wasn't in the mood to talk, but he needed answers. "What does Orochimaru want with Naruto!?"

Kimimaro just looked at him. "Power," he said. "His isn't the type of body Orochimaru-sama would want to posses, unlike yours."

"I don't care what that freak wants of me!" Sasuke shouted before attacking. This time Neji came with him, but somehow Kimimaro was still able to handle both of them. Sasuke could only curse at how strong and versatile the man was. Not to mention the many bones in his body that protruded for attacks.

But the biggest problem was him and Neji. Sasuke had never been on the same team with Neji. He didn't know his strengths and weaknesses. It was hard for them to coordinate their attacks while having to watch out for each other.

"Go solo, Hyuuga," he told Neji. Neji seemed surprised at first, but quickly caught on. He fought with Kimimaro alone for a good few minutes, allowing Sasuke to observe his offense and defense, before falling back. Neji, aside from having Byakugan, had great control over his chakra circulation. That much was obvious when he used the gentle fist to breach Kimimaro's seemingly unbreakable body and hit a chakra point with great chakra precision.

Sasuke went in for a few minutes after Neji was done, allowing the older genin to observe him. The Sharingan he had could only predict movements and observed crude changes in his enemy's chakra. He was able to avoid direct attacks quite easily, but avoiding Kimimaro's many bones was more difficult without the finer resolution of the Byakugan to tell which part of his body was about to be used for attack.

Once Sasuke fell back, Neji whispered, "Soft then hard." Sasuke gave him a look that told him he understood. "Let's start with his legs."

Sasuke nodded. And they went in.

Neji attacked first because he was able to see the bone coming when Sasuke couldn't and he had the ability to stop it by blocking the chakra points leading to the area. With an enemy that was hard to predict like this one, Neji had the advantage going in but could not do much in terms of physical damage. That's where Sasuke came in. With the chakra pathways on the legs being shut down, Sasuke could break one of his legs while Neji went after his shoulder.

That plan seemed to work, until Sasuke realized that Kimimaro didn't have ordinary bones. "Fuck," he swore. Neji knew instantly that something wasn't working and fell back with him out of harm's way. "His bones are too dense. I can't break it."

"Seems like he can mend them back together pretty easily, too." Neji said as they watched Kimimaro restoring the functionality of his body. This was harder than they thought.

As his mind was racing to find a way to beat Kimimaro, Sasuke's eyes fell on the coffin. He could feel chakra pouring out of the thing, and a part of him was relieved that Naruto was still alive. Another part of him, though, was agitated, because the chakra didn't completely feel like Naruto's. He needed to get Naruto back to the village, and fast.

"Win the war, not the battle," he told Neji. Neji looked at him briefly in surprise before nodding. They charged together again, their attacks in crude synchronization with one another. Neji went for the chakra points, stopping Kimimaro from using his bones before Sasuke went in with hard hits trying to damage the body parts before Kimimaro could undo the block.

The signal came when Neji gave Kimimaro a series of sixteen-palm around the stomach before dodging, twisting away from Kimimaro's bone-sword towards his real target: the coffin. Kimimaro realized this a little too late. He twisted his body after Neji by instinct, leaving a big opening in his softened torso. Sasuke quickly performed the hand signs, ramped up the chakra to his fist in record time, and punched his fist right into Kimimaro's torso. His hand cut through the flesh and went right out the other side.

He didn't get a chance to bask in the small victory when the coffin suddenly exploded. The surge of chakra startled Sasuke into pulling back from Kimimaro. This was almost like the chakra he felt when Naruto's seal was activated, only that it felt darker, even more sinister than it was before.

As soon as he saw Naruto's figure standing up in the veil of smoke Sasuke shouted his name, but the blond boy didn't acknowledge him. He just stood as the chakra level slowly went back to normal.

"Please go ahead and meet with Orochimaru-sama, Naruto-kun," said Kimimaro as he coughed out blood. His body seemed to be doing weird things as it tried to repair itself. "I will take care of these vermin."

Naruto didn't reply. He just nodded and ran off. Sasuke wanted to follow but with Kimimaro-

"Just go, Uchiha," said Neji. Sasuke didn't see him until then. He was knocked back by the explosion but he looked all right. "I'll take care of this guy. You go bring Naruto back." Sasuke was surprised by the offer and at the same time reluctant. Neji was a match to Kimimaro's attack, but he couldn't quite cause the same damage to the white-haired ninja as Sasuke. His reluctance seemed to irritate Neji. He narrowed his eyes as motioned him to go. "I'm a Hyuuga. I can handle this."

Sasuke wanted to retort, but he was thankful for Neji's offer. With a nod, he took off, leaving Neji to fight Kimimaro alone.

Like the time during the Chuunin Exam, Sasuke found that pursuing Naruto was not necessarily the easiest task. When Naruto wanted to run away, he ran like the wind, and Sasuke had to use all his ability to track him down. The forest wasn't forgiving either. He had to put a lot of effort into sensing Naruto's chakra alone. The signature was cresting and ebbing in weird patterns that increasingly worried Sasuke.

He skidded to a stop as he emerged from the treeline to the bare rock beside a large waterfall. The two statues on both sides were glittering in the morning sun. Naruto was already on the other side of the waterfall with his back towards him. Sasuke realized then that Naruto had had his back towards him many times already. Naruto had always been pulling away.

"NARUTO," he shouted over the roaring waterfall, trying to get the blond boy's attention, but Naruto didn't acknowledge him. He just kept walking. Sasuke's chest tightened painfully. "NARUTO, I'M SORRY!"

Naruto's footstep came to a halt. He turned part-way back towards Sasuke. "For what?" he asked. His voice was devoid of emotion and it broke Sasuke a little inside.

"For what I said to you and Sakura at the hospital," Sasuke replied. "I didn't mean it. I want our team back the way it was."

He wanted the hotpot, the laughter, the mishaps, the missions, the brawls. He wanted everything.

But Naruto just laughed a dry, cynical laugh. "I told Sakura-chan this before: I don't want the past," he said. "I'm not going back."

"And what? Going to Orochimaru so he can make you his pet?" Sasuke tried to counter. That very idea made his stomach churned.

The reply from Naruto made his heart clench, "I don't care."

"But I do!" he shouted back. "So do Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, and Neji! They're risking their lives to bring you back."

To that, Naruto chuckled. "They don't know what they're bringing back," he said.

So Naruto thought they didn't know yet. "We know you have the Nine-tails," Sasuke replied.

Naruto's eyes seemed to sharpen. Sasuke didn't see that so much as feel the intense stare from the other side of the waterfall. "Just like I thought, they want it back." Then the blond smirked. "I'm not giving it back."

Sasuke knew then that he had been misunderstood. "We're not here for the Nine-tails, Naruto!"

"Then why the hell do you think your mission was sanctioned in the first place!?" Naruto shouted back at him. He turned fully to Sasuke now, and the sight of the black patterns adorning half of Naruto's body sent chills down Sasuke's spine. Naruto's eyes were glowing bright red, visible even from where Sasuke stood. "If it was just _Naruto_ that went missing, no one would have sent you out here."

"But I would have come!" Sasuke countered.

Naruto chuckled again. "Now, now, Sasuke," he said with a wide terrifying grin on his face. "Surely, you don't _mean_ that."

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that. He realized then how much trust he had lost from the person who was the closest to him, someone whom Sasuke could only admit then was his best friend. And it hurt even more than when his father turned his back on him. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he knew his apology meant nothing to Naruto now. He had never felt so much like a failure than in that moment. "Come back with me," he said, grabbing on to the last thread of their friendship, of anything, that could change Naruto's mind. "I'll show you I mean it. I'll do anything to make you believe me."

But Naruto just snorted. "Don't throw that phrase around, Uchiha. Nobody ever means anything by that."

Sasuke understood then that he got it wrong. It wasn't just him that led Naruto to this. How arrogant was he to think that? Naruto didn't just lose faith in him. Naruto lost faith in _everyone_. Sasuke's hand clenched when he realized how small he was compared to this pain. And he hated it. He hated being useless. He hated that he could only watch as Naruto suffered. He really wasn't any better than the little Sasuke who could only cry at the loss of his clan.

But he just knew he couldn't let Naruto go. That was the one thing he definitely could not let happen.

Sasuke's jaw snapped shut. He increased the chakra to his legs, sprinted towards the cliff, and took his chance at jumping onto the other side. It was suicidal and stupid, but he didn't care. The divide between him and Naruto was too wide and Sasuke had to close it somehow. Naruto didn't move when he landed. Didn't even seem remotely surprised when Sasuke tackled him to the ground.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. His voice small and dry. "You have so many friends here. Hinata looked up to you and through her you influenced Neji. You have Shikamaru and Chouji who look out for you. You have one of the sannin to train you. You have personal connections with two Hokage-"

"Three."

Sasuke blinked.

There was a sad twitch at the corner of Naruto's mouth. "I'm the Fourth's son, that makes it three."

...What?

A smirk spread on Naruto's face, but his eyes... They were red pools of unfathomable pain. "You didn't know that, did you? Don't worry about it. Nobody told me that until last night. I was kept in the dark just as much as everyone else." He chuckled. "_My life_ was made up of one secret after another. It was one big, terrible _lie_. And I've had enough of it." With that, Naruto pushed up. Sasuke tried to keep him down like he did so many times when they trained, but Naruto's strength was inhuman. The blond boy managed to free one of his hands from Sasuke's grasp, grabbed his collar, and lifted him up. "I am going to stop living in this terrible dream."

At that Naruto threw him right back across the waterfall. Sasuke barely had enough time to twist himself around and ramp the chakra to his feet to cushion the fall. A few trees were sacrificed for his landing. He increased the chakra to his legs and began running again even before he completely stopped because damned him if he was going to let Naruto get away just like that.

He jumped and landed just a few meters from Naruto, who managed to block the first attack Sasuke delivered. Sasuke jumped back a few meters to gain his footing and turned around to find Naruto in a combat stance. "You're stubborn," said the blond boy.

"I won't let you go to Orochimaru," Sasuke said. "I'll break every bone in your body and drag you back if that's what it takes!"

"Huh, I'd like to see you try," Naruto said with a sneer. Sasuke charged immediately. If it was their fight from before, Sasuke would have had the advantage of speed. But somehow, Naruto was much faster than he used to be without any sign of fatigue. The cursed seal seemed to no longer cause him pain. Somehow Naruto was able to call out more power than he ever had. This Naruto was nothing like the Naruto he knew.

Sasuke landed quite painfully in the water when Naruto managed to find an opening in his taijutsu and punched him hard in the stomach. Sasuke dodged the brunt of it, but the graze was still enough to cause damage. He didn't want to think what it would have been like to get a direct hit.

"Not much of a dead-last now, am I?" Naruto mocked, jumping down onto the water where Sasuke was, a sinister grin on his face. "I don't even need an advance ninjutsu to kill you right now, Sasuke-chan."

Sasuke growled, "I'm not done with you yet!" He performed the hand signs and blew a series of fireballs. Naruto dodged them, but Sasuke was one step ahead of him. When he emerged from the fire attack, Sasuke was already waiting with a kick to the neck. It should have been enough to knock Naruto out. The former Naruto, that is.

This Naruto just took the kick at full-force with a grin, grabbed his leg, and delivered a killing kick to Sasuke's head. Sasuke managed to block it, but the force was enough that they flew meters apart and quite possibly cracked one of Sasuke's bones even when he used chakra to cushion the impact.

Sasuke knew he couldn't prolong this. He would really be killed, if not from one single blow then from repeated physical trauma from a series of attacks. He had to stop Naruto now. If he did this right, it might give him enough time for backup to arrive. If he did one thing wrong, if his attack was even a few inches off, he would lose everything. It would be a gamble of his life and a gamble of his heart, but Sasuke couldn't see any other way.

Naruto was looking at him when he got up and went into a fighting stance. The hit on the neck seemed to work a bit since Naruto wasn't standing as straight as before.

"Let's end this, Dope," he said. His voice sounded cold even to his own ears. His chakra welled behind his eyes as his vision became sharpened.

Naruto grinned widely. "Finally taking me seriously, bastard?" he said.

How Sasuke hated that grin. What he would have given to see Naruto smile again.

It was too late now.

They charged at the same time. Sasuke's Sharingan blaring as he dodged Naruto's attacks. He landed a few hits here and there, but nothing serious enough to deter the blond boy. What he waited for was an opening and a few seconds. With Naruto's new speed, there wasn't much space or time for Sasuke to work with. But Naruto was still nothing like Lee, not even close.

It was an opening in a split of a second, but Sasuke managed to crouch and use Lee's chin kick, sending Naruto towards the sky. With Naruto's offense interrupted, Sasuke turned the tables and attacked him with a series of taijutsu to his vital points. Naruto was never the fast one at recovering from attacks, and that gave Sasuke enough time to grab Naruto by the neck and let the lightning blazed from his left hand. Warm water ran down his cheeks as he punched forward.

The feeling of Naruto's flesh and bones engulfing his arm was nothing like Kimimaro's. Sasuke didn't want to think about how close his arm was to Naruto's heart. He waited until he safely put Naruto down on his back, until he pulled his hand free from Naruto's right lung, to turn around and retch.

"Well," Naruto muttered. His voice sounded weak and distance. "That was a surprise."

Sasuke knew the Nine-tails had started the healing process. He just hoped that it would take enough time for the jounin team to get here and restrain Naruto.

"Thanks for taking me seriously, even if it is only this once," Naruto said as he turned his head to Sasuke. Blood was streaming from the side of his mouth as he coughed and tried to breath. His jacket was stained deep red from the blood. Still he had that smirk firmly on his face and it made the pain in Sasuke's chest all the worse.

Sasuke inched closer, his hand reaching for those familiar strands of blond hair. But before he could get close, Naruto's body suddenly arched and unleashed a scream of intense agony as red chakra engulfed him. The chakra was different, it wasn't as contaminated but just as sinister. The cursed seal was retracting and expanding in turn like something was forcing it back, like they were fighting a war inside Naruto's body. Sasuke tried to get close, wanting to stop the thrashing that was spilling blood everywhere, but this chakra was so hot that he wasn't able to step any closer than a meter from the boy. Sasuke could feel the burn on his skin as he tried to reach through the invisible flame.

Then as suddenly as it came, the chakra disappeared. Naruto's body went limp, and Sasuke immediately assumed the worst. If he wasn't already on the ground, his legs would have given up then. He came this close to Naruto, but still it wasn't enough. He wasn't enough...

Then suddenly Naruto opened his eyes, bright red and fierce. Only then did Sasuke realized that the hole in Naruto's chest was no longer there, covered instead by circular pinkish skin. His chakra felt different, less rotten, more powerful. His eyes suddenly snapped to Sasuke. His lips pursed back into something that was too animalistic to be a smile or a snarl. "I guess this is it," Naruto stood up. "Farewell, Sasuke."

Naruto's fist turned bright blue. The small distance between them was crossed in a fraction of a second and the last thing Sasuke heard was

"Rasengan."

/***/

End of Chapter 17

**A/N:** The next chapter would be the aftermath and then we'll get to the time skip (in which I will have to take a break, unfortunately).

But before that, the replies.

**Ashimodo** Wow, welcome and thank you so much for the comments. That's quite a marathon, isn't it? About Sakura, I'm sorry to say she is still not on the retrieval team for this one because she was too rattled at the moment. I think the Sakura in my head is not quite ready for this yet given how shaken she was, and I don't think Tsunade and Kakashi would risk her.

Actually, the scene you saw between Sasuke and his parent's is not the Tsukuyomi. That's purely Sasuke's own doing after being messed by the Tsukuyomi. I also don't buy Itachi wanting Sasuke to be Konoha's champion. I buy into the assisted suicide stuff. I buy from the start that Itachi actually loves his brother, but the champion thing sounds to me like a convenient way of making Itachi a good guy by giving us an excuse for all his wrongdoings, which, to me, still does not explain in a convincing way how exactly did he think messing with Sasuke's head the way he did would lead to him being a hero. So I am leaving that out of focus because I may change my mind about it, but not very likely.

I hope this chapter at least gives you some idea that the mess in Naruto's head can't be easily resolved by Sasuke because it's actually bigger than that. Sasuke is actually just a trigger to that giant avalanche. Honestly, I didn't really think in term of how the cursed seal could have messed with Naruto's head at all (Oops!), because Naruto's head is already such a mess. I'm thinking that emotional avalanche can be seen as partly induced by the seal, but I have no idea how to make a hint to that. And yeah, I actually mention this below in my reply to **nekomode** that I failed to make clear the sense of alienation Naruto was feeling and that alone should have worked as a convincing motivation. Your comment really drives it home that I HAVE to get this point across... somehow.

Huh, I don't recall that they were told the Kyuubi was dead at all. Got to find where that was at some point. But, like, how would that work as they grow up? Wouldn't they have to realize at some point that they were lied to because 1) everyone else and their extended family knows (I don't even know how; it doesn't make sense) and 2) who killed a tailed beast, really? My headcanon has always been that tailed beasts are this open secret, like some kind of urban legend or folktale, that people talk about when the lights are out but no one really knows anything about them, because the fact seems to be thrown around so casually. So I feel like there actually would be a continuity problem IF the kids were told the Kyuubi's dead. They only need to look to their parents' attitude to know that something wasn't right.

About Tsunade proclaiming Naruto's the Nine-tail vessel, I think there are a lot of ways to go about that scene for sure. I went for Tsunade telling them the truth mainly because I think in a tricky situation like this where someone's motivation for causing a state emergency is not clear, honesty is the best policy. And everyone else - chuunin, jounin, ANBU, and the civilians in the village alike - knows this anyway, so it seems to me that keeping a bunch of genin out of loop was not worth the added headache to the FUBAR the situation already was. They'd have to know this eventually so why not then when the information was most relevant. (Also, it would have been a crucial piece of information if they were going to have any chance at convincing Naruto to stay, although that didn't work out.) I don't think Tsunade would have told them if the situation wasn't so dire.

I totally can see a summon battle being done like that, with one question, though: why would someone want to do a summon battle in the first place? What's the strategic advantage? (Aside from using them as a bulldozer as you rampage over a city or an army. That would totally work, and I would totally want to be on one.) And yes, this is me in the middle of writing my paper, so my head is all logic and rationalization right now.

And I humbly accept your application for a position of beta reader. I won't be able to really do anything about this fic until at least mid April, though. And these last few chapters are in need of rewrites before we can get to editing. Let me know again after chapter 18 if I sell you on Naruto leaving Konoha, because I don't want to force you to read something you can't go behind. It's unfair to ask that, I think.

**stay-stark** Hullo! I hope you and everyone is your city/town is all right after that snow storm. That can be a huge mess. Yeah, I totally agree that Sakura's scene is a little rushed. I'll have to go back and work on that later, but there really isn't much else to add, though. About Naruto's conversation with Sakura, the guest comment (it's actually nekomode's) in the last chapter got it right in one and I really can't phrase it better. So if you're curious, you can have a look at that.

I want them to be stupid boyfriends too, but them being idiots are sooooo getting in the way right now. Sometimes I really want to smack Sasuke in the back of the head and tell him exactly how long it would take him to even get close to Naruto AT ALL after this, let alone in _his pants_ and not to mention in _his heart_. But I'm a sadist, so I'll have a great time making Sasuke suffer. Tee hee.

And thank you for your kind comments! I didn't edit for tensing at all, so it's probably a fluke. :P (No, not the Muse right now. She can come over later (much later) but not right now.)

**ZyiareHellsing **Yes, sensei! *stream of youthful tears running down the face with sunset in the background*

**enRei** I usually try to go for a dramatic rather than epic for an action scene, but I do hope this fight is epic. :)

**SithLordNilis** I know that. Why do you think I play along for two bouts and actually mention making a conversation out of it? (I leave you a way out, and you didn't take it. What did you _think_ I was going to do after that?) I would have flipped at you the first time if I thought it was real, because, dude, throwing threats (yes, let's call it what it is) around is not funny or acceptable anywhere outside a misguided internet subculture (which, by the way, has destroyed many good things on this beautiful internet). Verbal violence ARE violence. Just because no one can punch you in the face or call 911 because you're behind the keyboard does not mean you can say whatever you like to mean whatever you want. Language doesn't work like that. Communication doesn't work like that.

The bottom line is this: internet is like any house party. Use the same manner you would going out partying with your friends with strangers around. No one might stop you here because, quite honestly, no one cares about you as long as they don't have to tolerate you, and even then they would just want you gone rather than dealing with you. But you know what? I think you're better than that. That's why I'm telling you all this. Also, a flat, uninteresting, and asshole-ish character with only one thing to say is not a character. It's a caricature. Use it only once because it gets annoying and boring if you use it a second time.

**wierdsquirrelgirl** Oh, he WILL. _That_ I can guarantee ya. Jiraiya and Kakashi's reaction will be in the next chapter, so stay tuned.

**nekomode** Again. THANK YOU for your awesome comment! Chapter 16 is the second draft so it's better than the first draft but still not fully edited.

From what you said about Naruto's part along with **SupernaturalHearts**'s comment, I think the issue here is that Naruto's POV in 15 wasn't communicating what it should. That is why his POV in 16 completely missed the mark with you guys. Naruto was having an emotional breakdown, yes, but what should have been cleared was that he felt alienated and isolated. He had tried to belong to Konoha but was rejected. Team Seven made him feel belonged somewhere, but then Sasuke rejected him, especially now that he perceived himself as being 'other' to Konoha. That's why he was on the top of the Hokage mountain looking down on Konoha instead of being in village.

Orochimaru knows that Naruto won't come to him for power. (Kakashi got that one drastically wrong because he's emotionally blind.) What Orochimaru set out to do through Sound Four is to set himself apart in Naruto's eyes by contrasting himself with Konoha. Where Konoha uses secrecy, Orochimaru goes for honesty. What Konoha shackles, Orochimaru let loose. What Konoha rejects, Orochimaru embraces. That's why the Sound Four weren't subtle about anything. They laid down every card on the table because they need Naruto to trust them and for Naruto to feel trusted. And Orochimaru knows Naruto is not an idiot. If Naruto detects subversiveness, if Naruto suspects Orochimaru is going to just do what Konoha has done, the game would be over.

I'm very sure Naruto's reasoning went into several loops before he actually made the decision, but I don't feel like I should show that thought process. Part of it is because I think at the end of the scene Naruto should be left with the choice. A choice is a very powerful illusion in itself. It gives a sense of control where Naruto felt like he didn't have any. And it should have been clear to us (if I can manage this right, which I didn't) that there isn't actually a choice at all. Another part of the reason is that it would be no fun telling you guys exactly how Naruto feels about Orochimaru right now, and at that point it shouldn't matter. Naruto didn't have anywhere else to go. Why not the den of the monsters, a place for people just like him?

I don't know if there's any trace of what I just said at all in the writing. (I had hoped there is, but that doesn't seem very likely at the moment.) I'll definitely have to go over 14,15,16 to get Naruto's emotional progression right.

About that line, I guess it just wasn't hitting me exactly like I wanted it to. (I can be annoyingly picky about how I phrase a certain thing sometimes.) Then again, I was probably overthinking it. I'd say if it works for you, then that means it works. Case closed.

And yes, you are evil. *High Five* But you're not a masochist, no. I didn't hear anything. :P Also, please pass the tissue box to the dear reader for me.

**TacitcalDubstep** Thanks, bro!

**ougley** *passing the tissue box and giving a hug*

**SupernaturalHearts** Well, Kakashi is a tactical genius, but I think he's woefully blind to emotions because of his own eff-up past. But yeah, I agree with ya. He could at least try to get help from outside if he didn't think he could handle Sasuke. And thanks for pointing out that Naruto's reason for leaving isn't clear. I wanted it to be a little ambiguous, but it _has_ to be convincing on the emotional level. So if I can't convince you, I'm not doing my job well.


	18. Chapter 18: Wake Me Up

**A/N:** This chapter is the aftermath of the Valley of the End. I will be taking a break from this story until after April (quite possibly some time mid May) to clear up other stuffs in my life, rewrite and edit the first 18 chapters, and put some good work into editing the story after the time-skip (and boy, there are definitely things to clear up over there). So hang in there, my friends!

Warning for a bit of gore in this chapter.

**Update 25/11/2015:** This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo

**Chapter 18: Wake Me Up When September Ends**

It was eight in the morning. Ino had gone back home, but Sakura remained behind in the Hokage's office, helping out with documents. Tsunade-sama had urged her to go home and rest, but she didn't think she could face her parents, not after what she had said, not after what had happened. She asked to stay, to do something, and the Hokage sympathetically let her. Tsunade-sama even sent a message to her parents on her behalf to let them know that she was fine but quite busy for the moment.

That was where she was when the first news came through to the radio. "First and second medical team have found the genins. Aburame Shino and Akimichi Chouji are in critical condition. Nara Shikamaru has a minor injury. Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Neji are in serious but not life-threatening condition," said the jounin who manned the radio.

The Hokage quickly got up and marched to the door as she said, "I want Akimichi's and Aburame's conditions sent to me immediately. Shizune, you come with me. We'll have to get the operation rooms ready for the boys."

With that both Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san disappeared, leaving only Sakura in the room with the jounins. "Umm," she turned to them and asked, "May I ask about Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto? Is there any news of them?"

The jounin shook his head. "The teams are still looking for them. There should be something soon. I'll let you know," he said.

"Thank you," she said as she sat on the chair and waited. She had been waiting for so long that it seemed to be the only thing she had ever done. Her hands pressed together on her lap as she bit her lips. She was frustrated, but she understood that there really wasn't anything she could do. Still... still...

She slammed her fist on the desk, causing a loud _bang _and a dent visible on the surface. The jounin were startled, but they didn't say anything when she stormed out the door. If she was going to wait, might as well be somewhere she might be a tad bit more useful, even if it was just sitting by her friends' bedside.

It was nearly an hour later that the medical team came back with her friends and, surprisingly enough, the three sand siblings. Shikamaru got a broken finger, but that was it. Kiba and Neji needed operations, but they weren't in serious danger. She didn't get to see Chouji or Shino since they were wrapped in scrolls and seals and were sent off to Tsunade and Shizune immediately.

Then came another long wait and not just for her. Shikamaru was waiting outside of Chouji's operation room with Temari. Hinata came to visit Kiba and Neji and waited for any news on Shino. Ino had to help her family and couldn't be there, but Sakura knew she was waiting for the news as well.

Even Gaara, beaten up and tired, was waiting. She didn't know for whom.

After a long silence and a back and forth between Shikamaru and Temari which she didn't participate in, Tsunade finally came out of the operation room. Chouji was safe thanks to the Nara medical tome. Sakura smiled in relief. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi were like three extensions of the same family. They always stood by each other and Sakura envied them for that. Right then she was alone. There was still no news of Naruto or Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei was nowhere to be found.

Despite the success of Chouji's operation, Tsunade didn't stay for long. As soon as she delivered the news, she was off, apparently to another operation waiting for her.

"Who?" Shikamaru asked.

Tsunade looked grim. "It's Sasuke. He's in critical condition right now," she said before walking off.

"Wait," Sakura called after her. "What about Naruto?"

At this the Hokage stopped. She took a deep breath and said, "Naruto did not come back with him."

There was dead silence in the hall when the sound of the high-heels faded at the other end of the corridor. Sakura didn't know what to do. She just stood still, staring at the far wall. Sasuke came back critically injured, and Naruto... Naruto got away.

"Shit," Shikamaru swore quietly before he _flumped _back onto the bench his head bowed low. "Shit." Shikamaru's father walked over to his side and patted him gently on the back. Sakura wondered briefly if her parents would have done the same. How she would have loved to have parents who were shinobi, who could understand all this emotional turmoil, with her right now.

Footsteps came from the end of the hall and Sakura looked up. Like heaven had heard her prayer, there was Kakashi-sensei. He looked worn out with blood on his vest and somehow Sakura just knew he was the one who found Sasuke. He was the one who brought Sasuke back.

As her vision started to blur, Sakura got up from her seat, threw herself at her teacher, and began to cry.

/***/

Sasuke's legs had gone numb. He didn't remember how long he was sitting on them in the blood-stench room. At that point, it didn't matter. He felt like he had been there forever, never ever able to leave the place.

"You have gone back on your word, Sasuke," said his father, level and stern. "You have not only dishonoured yourself and your family, you have abandoned us for the Nine-tails child."

"I have not abandoned our family, Father," Sasuke said, but was still unable to look at him. He stared instead at his hands clenched into fists. "I will avenge our family - I promise this - but I cannot live with just hating anymore. I have hurt everyone who is important to me."

"That is why I told you that you have to choose," his father replied. "You cannot simply have everything you want. It is either us or them. You will hurt one or the other in you indecisiveness."

"I have hurt one or the other by being decisive," he countered. He had made revenge the only thing he had, and because of that he lost the things he truly had: his team, his friends.

"That is because you have not cut those bonds from your heart," his father said. "Those bonds have made you weak. They make you feel unnecessary things."

"Unnecessary," Sasuke muttered under his breath. For the first time, he felt the need to look up and face his father in his cold dead eyes. "So you are saying what I feel does not matter, Father?"

The corpse did not reply.

Sasuke chuckled drily. "I should have known," he said. "You were never much of a person to think of other people's feelings, were you, Father?"

"Your father cares deeply about you, Sasuke," his mother said the same old line like a parrot repeating its long learned phrase over and over. The difference was that she was also dead.

"I know," Sasuke said before turning back to his father's corpse. His dead eyes weren't looking at Sasuke. His mouth was hanging open stuffed full by the bloated purple tongue. "I know you both love me, but you are not the only people who love me nor are you the only people I love. All of you are important to me."

The corpses didn't reply.

"I cannot change the past. Even after I kill Itachi, I can't have you back," Sasuke continued. "But if I live for the past then I will lose the people I have now and they will become like you, the ghosts I wish I could amend to. But regardless of what I do, I will not be able to undo my past mistake. I cannot take back the wrongs I did."

"..."

"I let that happen to Naruto," he told his parents. He knew that if they were actually alive in front of him, he wouldn't have done so, but the urge to confess his error was too strong. "I let him become my past mistake. But he is not dead. He's a mistake I can still fix, unlike you."

"..."

"Don't worry. I will kill Itachi," Sasuke said firmly as he watched them both, stone still in front of him. "You were most precious to me and you still are. I will give you the justice you deserve, but _please_," he begged, willing them to understand, "I _need_ to _live_."

The corpse did not reply. There was no sound from any of them. His father did not stop him from getting up this time. His legs were surprisingly steady as he walked over to his father's corpse, looking into his discolored eyes, before reaching forward and closed them. He turned to his mother. At that angle, her eyes were on him. She did not say or move when he reached out and closed them as well.

The cool breeze from the night wind called his attention to the door. For the first time, he saw it open. For the first time, he was able to leave the room. The outside was dark with no moon nor stars in the sky, but for a long while Sasuke felt like he could breathe.

/***/

Three days after the operation Sasuke finally opened his eyes.

Sakura heard the news from Shizune-san. She had spent a lot of her time around the Hokage office lately so she was up-to-date on all her friends' conditions. The reason was partly because she had requested Tsunade-sama to be her teacher, and the Hokage agreed. Kakashi-sensei even gladly put in his reference for her apprenticeship. But the real reason was that Sakura didn't know where else to go any more. Her parents had been understanding, but they didn't understand what she was going through. Even when she knew Tsunade's advice for her to take some time off had merits, she couldn't fathom being alone in her room close to her mother all the time.

So she insisted on taking the test on chakra and emotional control even though Tsunade didn't think it was the right time. She insisted on getting the anxiety test done even when Shizune-san thought she should be more stable first. She had been put under some seriously nasty genjutsu to see how she'd reacted. So far, she passed the tests with flying color, not a surprise to her really. It was just like the Academy all over again, and _that_ Sakura understood. That she could deal with.

The simple thing like visiting her teammate, however, was not something she knew how to do. Sakura had seen the look on his face when he left Konoha with the team. She knew in his head there was no other outcome he would consider aside from having Naruto back with them. Sakura didn't know what it would do to him to realize that he had failed. She didn't even know what he would be like waking up after almost being killed by his best friend. She also didn't know how to deal with his injury either. Sakura hadn't seen how bad it was, but she overheard Tsunade talking to Jiraiya-sama about it. No, more like yelling at a decent volume at him.

"You taught the kid Rasengan but you didn't teach him how dangerous it can be," she said. "The Uchiha-kid was lucky the Rasengan wasn't at full force or his ribs would have been completely fractured and his chest cavity would have collapse. He would have died, Jiraiya, not get five broken ribs and a hospital stay."

Jiraiya huffed and replied. "You're underestimating Naruto. He knows full well how dangerous it is. He made a crater fighting Kabuto for you."

"Hitting the ground is not like hitting a person! You can't look at one and suddenly understand the other."

"I know that. Don't you think Naruto knows that? The reason it wasn't at full force was because he didn't want it to be."

This time it was Tsunade's turn to huff. "That kid doesn't have that fine a control. His chakra is too massive. Whenever he uses Rasengan, it's like a bomb."

"Cut the crap, Tsunade. You saw the injury. You know Naruto didn't intend on killing-"

"-he had done a lot of damage. If he had gone for the stomach-"

"-the internal organs would have been critically damaged. Sasuke wouldn't even get back here alive."

"It was still a close call for him. All because you-"

"I know you're angry with everything right now, Tsunade," Jiraiya cut her off gently in a tone Sakura had never heard him use before. "You can take it out on me; I don't mind. But you know very well why you are angry. That has nothing to do with the kid's injury."

Tsunade huffed and sniffed. They were quiet for a time before she replied, "You know as well as me that Sasuke might just be lucky." Her voice was more professional than it was before.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, lost the conviction in his voice. "I know," he said. "I just don't want to think that Naruto of all people could do that."

Sakura didn't want to think that was the case either.

When she arrived at Sasuke's room, sweating and brimming with nervous energy, she found Kakashi and Jiraiya were just going in. Sakura sat down outside on the bench by the door waiting for her turn. A part of her was also curious as to why both of them were there.

"How are you doing, Sasuke," asked Kakashi.

There was a pause before she heard his voice for the first time in days. "Surviving," Sasuke-kun said. His tone was flat and lacking any real emotion behind it.

Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Naruto got away," he said.

Sasuke-kun didn't say anything in reply.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Kakashi-sensei pressed gently. So they wanted to question him. Sakura didn't know what to feel that they pressed forward with this even though Sasuke wasn't really in the condition to talk.

Another pause, then Sasuke-kun snorted and said, "Would you leave me alone if I said no?"

"You're right. We won't," replied Kakashi-sensei, "but we can talk about this when you are ready. Your term, Sasuke."

Another long pause. She tried to heightened her hearing so much she thought she might have heard them breathe. After a while, Sasuke-kun asked, "Did you know he was the Yondaime Hokage's son?"

Sakura blinked in surprise. There was another stretch of silence. This time it was Jiraiya-sama that replied, "Yes."

"Did you know about the Nine-tail as well?" asked Sasuke.

"Yes, we both did," Jiraiya-sama said. "I think most of the people above your age know this. Because of the Third's decree, your generation weren't told about it."

Sasuke-kun didn't say anything for a while. It seemed that talking drained him because his voice sounded strained when he spoke again, "Did you know he was all alone?" There wasn't a verbal reply, but Sakura could surmise that the answer was an affirmative because the next thing she heard was Sasuke-kun's outburst. "Then why!? Why didn't you two do something!? Do you know how much pain he is in? Did you-" His voice was cut off by wheezing.

"Easy, Sasuke. Your lung still can't work at full capacity yet," said Kakashi-sensei.

Sasuke-kun didn't reply to that. He continued, "He thought his life here was a lie. He thought no one really knows him or cares about him because he lives with too many secrets." Then Sasuke-kun wheezed again. "All he wanted was someone to be his friend and acknowledge him even when he had that monster inside. Since no one knew, he thought there was no one here for him, so he left."

Sasuke-kun's breathing was still hard, but it got slightly better once he stopped talking. It was Kakashi-sensei who filled in the silence. "I thought that if you two became close, Naruto might choose to tell you himself. I should have known that he wouldn't trust easily after Mizuki betrayed him and killed Iruka."

"Mizuki?" Sasuke spoke; "But Mizuki was nice to him."

"Yes, and that's why that betrayal hurt Naruto so badly. Without Iruka to guide him, Naruto's emotional state was unstable. He was homicidal and suicidal all at once. Team Seven had made it better, even if it was just for a while."

Sakura's heart clenched, especially at the last part. Oh, how she wished she knew. How she wished she could have helped.

"What happened to Mizuki?" Sasuke-kun asked.

"He died," said Kakashi-sensei. "Brain trauma. Essentially, Naruto punched him to death."

Sakura gasped.

"You did not tell me that," Jiraiya-sama said. He sounded as surprised as she was. "If you had told me that I wouldn't have taught him Rasengan!"

"It was a great oversight on my part and for that I apologize. I had thought things were better because the three of them were so close," Kakashi-sensei said.

"We were," Sasuke-kun said. His voice sounded broken. "I fucked it up."

Sakura was surprised at Sasuke-kun's use of profanity. Sasuke-kun rarely cussed. The two adults, however, didn't seem to mind. "We all make mistakes, Sasuke" said Kakashi-sensei.

"The one that drove him away was me," Sasuke-kun said; "I should be the one taking responsibility."

"Sasuke," said Jiraiya-sama with a tone sterner than Sakura had ever heard him. "We can't take responsibility of what others have done, even if we somehow are a part of their decision. It is still their choice."

"Then what do you think I should do? Just let him go!?" Sasuke-kun was shouting again and he had to pause for breath. "I'm going to bring him back."

"Sasuke-"

"I'll bring him back and keep him here. I am going to be Hokage and change this village so he can have a home here with people who accept him as he is." Sasuke-kun said, "It doesn't matter to me if you approve or not. Naruto is my responsibility and this is the choice I make."

There was silence so uncomfortable Sakura wondered if she should leave. Then Jiraiya-sama spoke, "I guess it can't be helped then."

Sakura blinked.

"If you're going after Naruto, you also have Orochimaru and the Nine-tail to contend with. If I just leave you alone, you are going to do something really stupid, don't you, Uchiha?" Jiraiya-sama said. His tone was light but she could hear seriousness there, like he knew exactly what Sasuke-kun might do.

Sasuke-kun just huffed.

"All right then, I guess Kakashi and I would have to beat some sense into you. How does intensive training sound?"

Sakura didn't need to see to know that Sasuke-kun was gobsmacked.

"Jiraiya-sama-" Kakashi-sensei tried to say something but the sannin interrupted him.

"We can work out the detail later, but I need you to help him considering you two have the same elemental affinity and you both possess Sharingan. I can ramp up his chakra capability and teach him a few tricks with seals. That should even up the playing field a bit."

Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Do you realize what kind monster we might be creating?" he said apparently to Jiraiya-sama.

"I'm willing," said Sasuke-kun. Sakura could hear determination in his voice. "I will become a monster by choice. I won't regret it. And I still need to kill Itachi anyway."

With that came another silence. Sakura wondered if it was in approval or disapproval. She knew that something bad had happened in Sasuke's past, although she didn't know the exact detail, and it definitely involved Itachi. And Itachi was dangerous. He was a very skilled ninja with absolutely no mercy. Sakura had seen what he was capable of doing. Compared to Itachi, the scariest Naruto had been wasn't scary at all.

She wondered briefly if that would mean the end of Team Seven. Naruto had gone to Orochimaru. She would be training under Tsunade-sama and Sasuke-kun would be busy with Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama. They would no longer be taking missions together, or training together, or eating together. Their lives would become separated as they choose separated paths to follow.

A part of her cried a little at the loss. Another part of her knew that was how it was. People grew into each other and grew apart, and sometimes they came back together better than they were before, like her and Ino. But she didn't know if she would be that lucky the second time.

She was so deep in her own thought that she didn't hear Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama approaching the door. They didn't seem surprise to see her there. Kakashi-sensei just nodded and took his leave while Jiraiya-sama looked her over with something akin to sympathy and pat her on the shoulder before leaving.

Once they were gone, she took a step into the room. Sasuke-kun was on the bed. His torso locked in a contraption that helped his broken ribs heal. He looked at her with so much sadness in his eyes that made her wanted to cry, but she kept the smile firmly on her face as she walked to his side.

He spoke first, "I'll be leaving with Jiraiya as soon as I'm healed."

She nodded. "I know," she said. "I'll be training with Tsunade-sama, so I'll be busy here, too."

Sasuke-kun lifted an eyebrow. "Then... I should congratulate you, I guess," he said.

"Thanks," she said. There was a pause before she continued. "So, it's over for Team Seven."

Sasuke-kun closed his eyes briefly before he said, "Yeah."

"But that doesn't mean I'm not your friend or comrade anymore," she said in a rush. "We can still get hotpot, or barbeque, or ramen if you come by and visit. And we'll get Naruto back. The next time you see me, I'll be just as strong as you. I'll go with you and we'll drag his sorry ass back home together. Because his home is here with us and I am not giving up on Naruto."

Her vision began to blur as tears began to fall. It hurt so much to know that she had lost her second family and a part of her wouldn't accept it. She would bring them back together. They would have a reprise and this time she would make sure they stay. When she looked up again, Sasuke-kun had closed his eyes. On his face was a scowl like he was in pain, but his hand was gentle and warm on hers. When he opened his mouth the two syllables he said was so full of emotions her heart broke a little.

It was, "Thank you."

/***/

End of Chapter 18

**A/N:** All right, that was a ride. See you all again after April!

P.S. Sasuke's POV somehow reminds me of Hamlet. Must be daddy's ghost.

**yaoi123** This will be the last one in a while, unfortunately. Hope you enjoy it!

**enRei** The break is going to be for just one or two months, not years. Promise!

**Corpj123** Wow, okay. That's new to me too, so I guess it is an achievement. There won't be hot and heavy yaoi stuff for a while, but I'll give you a heads up when that comes about.

**Reign Of Sorrow** And I'm glad to hear you found Naruto creepy there, because he should be. If Sasuke is finished, then the ship is going to sink, right? (We can't have that now, can we?)

**SithLordNilis** I can totally see that, although you have to keep in mind that jokes are a cultural thing, which means how well it works depends on timing, places, and people, and has rather little to do with what kind of jokes you like.

**nekomode** *Grab two more boxes of tissue and hand them over* Yeah, fixing Sasuke's and Naruto's POV are going to be tough. I'll need some time to focus on it. I like that you called the boys prime idiots. XD We should make this phrase a thing. I like the ring of it. To me Naruto's character (both in canon and here) is all about rejecting the past, while Sasuke is obsessed with the past. But the way they go about it is mirrored. So, yeah, that conversation wasn't going to fly from the start because they've always been focused on different things. (And I totally agree with you that canon Madara is the future version of canon Sasuke if he had continued on his path. I think it's an Uchiha thing.)

I didn't think of Itachi at all when I was writing this, so that's an interesting observation. I don't usually buy the insane argument, but I can agree with you to some degree here. I can sort of see Itachi not being precisely insane but had convinced himself of so much bullshit just to keep sane under all the pressure. I think the Konoha-champion thing for Sasuke might be one of them, that he wanted to believe that he had done something good for both his brother and for Konoha when, in fact, he just continued to mess things up really badly. But he was, like, fourteen or something. Of course, he'd mess up, but he couldn't admit to that after killing his entire clan, his parents included, and terrorized the five nations under Akatsuki. Oh gosh, this interpretation of Itachi is so tragic I can't even.

By the way, your avalanche imagery is awesome. Are you sure you're not going to write more seriously? *Insert innocent doe eyes here*

No, it's not going to be a permanent break. I do have drafts (like almost 20 chapters of it), but it's not of satisfying quality right now (mainly because I have to make up a lot of stuffs, so I want to tell all those stuffs, and so I eff-up the pace in a lot of places, and somehow I can't quite pin some of the characters down as well as I would have liked.) And thanks for pointing out that error!

**wierdsquirrelgirl** I agree with you completely. Emotion is what drives the world, for good or for ill. And, yes, I do like communicating emotions subtly, or at least the ones that are the under current that words are not quite equipped to express. (I'm a big fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, because omg that series makes me feel things using such subtle gestures. Like just stopping the motions or stopping the background music. Like, gah!) Problem with that, I think, is that sometimes the gestures and nuance don't always get interpreted in the same way. If we're on the same page like you and me on Naruto's mental state, then it's fine but some people might not see it that way. I guess my problem as an amateur writer is that I don't know yet what, when, and how to gesture effectively. This sound like it's going to be a long ongoing experimentation for me.

**Alviniju** Dude, considering that you were right last time, do you really need me to confirm or deny this? :D I like that you put "evil" in quotation marks. I'm not big on writing about evil because I don't think evil people exist. Evil deeds, yes, but not evil people. So if Sound is not full of "evil people", then Naruto's relationship with it is going to be complicated and interesting (at least to me).

I am having so much trouble figuring out what to tell you to not give away too much. Yes, I write on the assumption that Orochimaru understands Naruto's mental state. Considering he's a genius, he should be able to figure that out. So, let's say, you're right on track, but I'm not telling you which one. :P

**ZyiareHellsing** That pretty much summarizes it.

**SupernaturalHearts** Hmmm. I will have to think about how to present the reason. It's probably more hinting towards it rather than spelling it out, so that's going to take some work. Thanks for the clarification! (And, no, Sasuke didn't have a chance in hell, unfortunately.)


	19. Chapter 19: Les Enfants Terribles

**A/N:** I am BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! I miss you all so much, and thank you for the support in the form of comments, follows, and favs while I'm away! As always, replies to your comments are at the end of the chapter.

Unfortunately, because of how busy I still am, the chapters will be updated once every 2-3 weeks. Hopefully, the situation will let up at some point. I'm still rewriting and editing previous chapters with Ashimodo, who has been really awesome in editing all the chapters including this one.

The story from this chapter on happens after the three years time-skip and can be considered **complete AU**, because there really isn't any other way to continue the story after all the changes that happened. I'm also going to use my creative license to change a lot of things from the canon to hopefully make more sense. There will be **many original characters** (not that Kishimoto didn't make more than enough characters in the canon), and a lot of people who show up in the canon will not show up here. Also, **I** **will not resurrect the dead**. I'm not refuting Edo Tensei, but the jutsu will be harder to do in this universe because information of a person's experience (or the self) cannot be transmitted through DNA as much as Kabuto tried to convince us otherwise. So, no Edo Tensei army, sorry.

No warning for this chapter yet. We're just going to see the kids all grown up. :)

**Chapter 19: Les Enfants Terribles Overture**

It wasn't easy being trained as a medic nin. First of all, she needed to have medical knowledge like anatomy, physiology, toxicology, basic pharmacology drilled into her brain. Sakura had prided herself on being book-smart, but studying medicine was still tough for her. Second, because medic nin were so hard to train, teams were very protective of them, meaning resources were expended to ensure the safety of one of the team members instead of being used to complete the mission. In order to overcome this, medic nins usually had to be the strongest in the team, and even then they were discouraged from taking active roles on missions.

Sakura didn't regret being enlisted as a medic nin. Far from it. She just got frustrated sometimes.

"Diamond to Reindeer," she whispered into the radio. "Target found. Five guards in close proximity. Five others at ten-meter radius. Permission to engage. Over."

"Reindeer to Diamond. Stand down. Azure and Red Fang are approaching your position. They will engage. Over."

Sakura huffed. She couldn't sense Hinata and Kiba anywhere close to her. They would have to take another five to ten minutes to get to her undetected. The target, a kidnapped daughter of a daimyo, was only outside because her captor, a daimyo-wannabe of a general wanted to impress her by showing her around his hunting ground. They didn't stop anywhere more than ten minutes as a precaution. The protection was much tighter when they moved, so _this _was the perfect opportunity to get close and rescue the princess. They didn't have another five minutes to spare.

"Diamond to Reindeer," she said. "I'm going in. Out."

Shikamaru was about to protest but she turned off the radio and changed her form into a young peasant girl. Satisfied that her henge didn't have a weakness, she proceeded with the plan.

She intentionally tripped over a tree root, causing enough noise that the guards from the outer ring would come and discover her. They asked who she was. She said she was from the village. They shouted at her for being in the hunting ground of a noble. She let out some crocodile tears and pretended to be cowed. The general asked them what the ruckus was about and told them to bring her to him.

According to their profile, this general was quite showy. He would probably reprimand her in front of the princess to show that he was serious, but also let the poor peasant girl be escorted out to show that he was merciful. At close proximity, she could use a smoke bomb, grab the princess, and run. No one would have any idea who she was or who sent her. The Daimyo would have his daughter back without a fuss.

That plan seemed perfect, until one of the outer ring guards stepped forward, his sheathed sword blocking her path. "Tsubaki-sama, this girl could be a ninja," he said. "We are too far from the perimeter of the hunting ground for someone to just wander in and show up in your presence."

Sakura wanted to glare at him, but she just hung her head and sniffed while devising a hundred and one ways to torture the man.

General Tsubaki, fortunately, wasn't really that smart. "Well, it might just be a coincidence," he said. "And if not, I'm sure we can handle a single ninja."

The guard, however, was cautious. "I still don't want to take the risk. I say we kill her and be done with." At this, he unsheathed his sword, but Tsubaki stopped him.

"Not in front of the lady," said the general as he gestured to the princess. "We'll move out, and _then_ you kill her."

Tsubaki and his escorts began to move and Sakura had a tough decision to make: reveal herself now and fight all of them or reveal herself later, take down this swordsman, go after Tsubaki and probably still have to fight all of them.

The decision was taken out of her hands when a smoke bomb exploded. She was able to use the smoke to get away, but Tsubaki was also moving, sword drawn and shepherding the princess to safety. His guards were also on high alert. A number of them were knocked out by the two new intruders, but the ninja still couldn't penetrate the protection around the princess. These guards were actually good.

"Diamond to Reindeer," she said into the radio once she turned it back on. "Where is Unit One?"

"One is preventing deployment of the samurai. You three are on your own."

"Shit," Sakura muttered. She had to get to the princess before all this went to hell.

Then suddenly there was a thunderous sound like the sky was falling. The wind cleared away the smoke and Sakura looked up. Above her was a giant eagle, circling the area. Then in one swoop it dove and snatched the princess away before anyone could react.

"Unit Four to Reindeer," a smooth baritone voice issued from the radio, "Princess is rescued. See you at base. Out."

"Shit," muttered Shikamaru, "Alright, fall back Unit One and Two. See you at base. Out."

Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba quickly retreated before any of the guards could make sense of what was going on. "I thought we had three units on this mission," said Kiba while they were running at full speed to the perimeter. "Who the hell is Unit Four?"

Sakura wanted to ask the very same thing.

/***/

Overall, the mission was a success, thanks to the timely intervention of the mysterious fourth unit. It didn't matter to the daimyo, of course, because he got his daughter back without a scratch and that was all he cared about. Rookie Nine, however, was a little perturbed when the member of the fourth unit didn't even bother to wait for them at the daimyo's palace, leaving Shikamaru to figure things out.

Their curiosity was only satisfied once they got back to Konoha and reported to the Hokage's office for debriefing. Sakura spotted him in the middle of the room. The katana by his hip threw her off at first, but the hair on the back of his head, curled upward like a duck's tail, was too familiar a silhouette for Sakura to forget. He was taller than she remembered, but still lean. Even if she was over her crush on him, her heart still beat like crazy in her chest at the sight.

After almost three years, Uchiha Sasuke was back.

"Geez, why am I not surprised," drawled Kiba as he gave Sasuke a once over. "That kind of dramatic entrance could be only one of two people."

They all knew the second person to whom Kiba was referring, but no one ever said that name; even someone as blunt as Kiba would only hint at that person in a roundabout way.

"Dramatic indeed," muttered the Hokage as she flipped through the mission report. "So essentially, the only reason that little hitch in your plan didn't blow up in your faces was because Sasuke here-" she brandished the report at him - "flew in and snatched the girl before she disappeared."

"It was easier," said Sasuke. Sakura noticed that his voice had dropped quite a bit.

"Yes," Tsunade-shishou said shortly. Only Sakura could tell that she was slightly displeased by the course of action but said nothing because of the outcome. "And now Lady Fuyuku is pestering her father, so that he will pressure us to handover the handsome shinobi that saved her life."

They all snickered. Sasuke let out a 'Hnn' to signal his displeasure but otherwise didn't say anything.

"The next time you decide to do something without giving the heads up to the mission commander first, I _am_ going to send you to Fuyuku," said the Hokage pleasantly. "Seems like you've been going solo for too long. You have to improve your teamwork, Uchiha."

"I will take your advice under consideration," replied Sasuke.

That was when Tsunade turned to Sakura. "That applies to you, too. I know you had good reason to do what you did, but listen to your mission commander. Don't rush in like that again."

Sakura wondered if she could get off with just a 'Hnn' for a reply, but decided not to chance it. "Yes, Shishou," she said. Tsunade nodded. They went over some points in the report that the Hokage wanted clarification on, but there weren't many of those. The daimyo was happy and that was the most important part. "Good job, everyone," she said at the end of the meeting. "Now you can go take today off and rest. Shikamaru, I'll talk to you later this afternoon. Sakura, Sasuke, you two stay behind."

Sakura was surprised by this order, but otherwise didn't move from her spot. Ino caught her eye and offered a reassuring wink before filing out with the rest of Rookie Nine. At the end, there was just Sasuke and her and silence in the Hokage's office. It was a little awkward, if Sakura was going to be honest. She'd had many things she wanted to talk to Sasuke about in the past three years, but when he was finally in front of her, nothing came to mind. Although they had kept in touch through letters now and then, she didn't really have a good idea of what he was like. Sasuke was as private in his letters as he was in person. He wrote about the towns, about training, and complained about Jiraiya-sama, but that was the most she would hear about how he was feeling at any point in time. He never sent her any photo of himself. She suspected he never took one.

Standing beside her now was a handsome young man. He was an inch or two taller than her. His posture was more elegant and controlled than when he was younger - no more slump in the back, ubiquitous among preteen boys. His face, though, was still boyish, still mostly the Sasuke that Sakura remembered, but with a hint of maturity in his jawline. She really wasn't surprised that Lady Fuyuku, after a brief encounter, wanted a chance to meet him again. Sasuke was downright dreamy.

Sakura noticed Tsunade giving her a disapproving look and quickly diverted her eyes. It was unbecoming of a kunoichi to be ogling someone in front of her Kage, but - as her teacher already knew - Sakura wasn't blind.

Their wait only lasted a minute or so before the window to the Hokage's office swung open and in dropped Kakashi-sensei. She hadn't seen him in a while, either. Kakashi had been on double duty since Sasuke became Jiraiya's student. He would disappear for a few months at a time to gods-knew-where to train Sasuke, before coming back to Konoha to take missions. With their kind of schedule, they didn't get chances to catch up as much as Sakura would have liked.

"Yo," said Kakashi. "I hope I'm not too late."

"Not at all, Kakashi. It seems that keeping you busy actually makes you punctual," said Tsunade with a pleasant grin. Kakashi made a face, although it was hard to say what it was with his mask on. "Now that you're all here, I have a special mission for the three of you."

Sasuke perked up at the mention of a special mission. Sakura had a really bad feeling about it, but the prospect of having her team back together overpowered it.

"We have been tracking Akatsuki for the past three years. They have been quiet so far, but it seems that they will be making their move soon. Jiraiya is out there getting more information, but we have on good account from our own network that they are making a move in the Land of Sound."

Just from that word, Sakura knew instantly where this was heading, and why her stomach felt like it had dropped to her feet. If they were moving there, it would mean...

"It seems they took almost a year to gather enough information and pinpoint the exact location. Our intel unit concluded that Akatsuki has finally found the location of Orochimaru's largest hideout, the Otogakure."

"So you are telling me," Sasuke began steadily, but in his voice was a storm of emotions, "that they have found Naruto."

The young man's voice seemed to almost hitch when he said the name, yet he lingered over it like a prayer. For the past three years, there was no intelligence regarding Naruto's location or even if he still existed. For three years, they avoided mentioning his name or even thinking about him for the sake of their own sanity. Sasuke never mentioned him in his letters and Sakura often wondered what his thought on their former teammate was. Hearing that name being spoken with such emotion assured Sakura that Sasuke's feelings, like hers, had not changed.

Tsunade nodded. "We believe him to be the target. This means Akatsuki will attack Otogakure. I want the three of you to use this opportunity to infiltrate the village and bring Naruto back before they get their hands on him."

Objectively, Sakura knew this was too personal for all of them, that her teacher should have chosen someone else for this mission. But for three years they had been training for this. For three years they were willing to leave almost everything else behind to become stronger. A part of her felt the pride of knowing that her teacher trusted that she could carry out this mission, that she was ready for the challenge. She nodded firmly.

"I'll take this mission," said Sasuke, his jaw set with determination. She knew he wouldn't back down from this either.

Tsunade nodded before signing the scroll and handing it to Kakashi. "Kakashi will be your mission commander, _so listen to him_. And I mean both of you. Your priority is to come back alive. Don't be rash and don't die, got me?"

They all nodded. Sakura made eye contact with her teacher before giving her a thank-you smile. This mission would be rough on everyone physically and emotionally, but she wouldn't let anyone else take her place. Not a single chance.

/***/

The reason no one had ever known the exact location of Otogakure was because there wasn't much sign of a shinobi village anywhere near it. The closest anyone had gotten to Oto was a hamlet in the middle of the forest of ancient trees, trees that seemed to grow as tall as mountains. People in that place were hunters and gatherers, not farmers. They traded with nearby villages for rice and wheat. They grew some vegetables and raised some animals, but all in all, that hamlet didn't look like much. The people there called this place Kane no Mura, the Village of the Bells.

The hint to the location of Oto was in fact hidden in the waterway. In order for trees to grow as they did, they needed large supplies of water. If someone looked at the small streams on the surface, they wouldn't think the area around Kane no Mura was capable of sustaining such ecology, but because the hamlet wasn't important, didn't have anything anyone wanted, no one bothered to look.

Because if they had, they would discover a network of waterways underground. They would discover that the waterways and the roots, over thousands and thousands of years, had created a network of passages underneath the surface. If they had talked to the villagers and gained their trust, they would discover that these people knew of the underground passages and had made use of them since ancient days. They would have known that the reason the people of Kane no Mura survived so much turmoil and were still able to live as wild as they were was because the passageway had protected them, had become their home.

_That_ was where Otogakure resided.

Naruto didn't particular like or dislike the location of the village. He liked that it was secluded from the outside world. Walking the ancient forest was like walking back in time when humans weren't the most powerful creatures on the surface of the Earth. People in Kane believed that monsters of the ancient world still lived among the woods. Naruto knew it was not very likely that anything like that existed in the wild anymore, but he liked the idea of it. He liked the idea that he might be one of them.

If there would be anything missing, it was the sun. There wasn't a lot of sunlight on the forest floor because of how high and dense the trees were, but at some river bend there would be just enough opening for the light to come down and touch the rock by the stream. Naruto had one particular bend that he loved to visit. He was always there after missions. After days or weeks of being in close proximity with people, he craved a moment of solitude like this.

"Ne, how is everyone?" he whispered as he sat down on the rock beside a small flower garden. It wasn't really a garden as much as a patch of earth that had flowers placed on it. Naruto didn't really know what a garden was supposed to look like, nor did he have any plan for it. It started out spontaneously with a batch of Lily of the Valley he brought back from a mission, and it just grew. The flowers were crippled a bit by the lack of sunlight, but still thriving quite all right. Naruto watered the plants, checked to make sure there weren't any pests around, and plucked out the weeds.

The serenity the motion gave him, however, was interrupted when he sensed a presence nearby. It wasn't that he actively told people to stay away from this place, but after a Sound shinobi pretty much got his nose removed, nobody ever tried to enter his sanctuary without permission again.

"What is it, Miyu?" he called out. She was one of the new Sound Four team that was formed after the original was destroyed while retrieving Naruto. Orochimaru called them an improvement. Naruto thought they were just different.

A girl appeared from the shadow of the trees. She was around thirteen, wearing a short beige tunic with a purple sash around her waist. Miyu always got the short end of the stick when it came to dealing with Naruto. Again, they probably knew that if they sent someone else, Naruto might throw a kunai first before asking. "Orochimaru-sama requires your presence in the lab, Naruto-nii," she said.

Naruto got up, wiped his hands on his pants, and said, "Sure, tell him I'll be there in a second."

"He requires your presence _now_, Naruto-nii," she insisted. Her unblinking eyes unnerved him somewhat.

He huffed. "Alright, fine. Lead the way." Miyu blended into the shadow again and Naruto focused his chakra to his feet. Miyu was fast, faster than anyone Naruto had ever met. She was like an aberration or a ghost, appearing in flashes among the trees. Keeping up with her speed was something Naruto both loved and detested. He was one of the few that could follow Miyu, but he also suspected that she simply liked him enough to let him. No one outran Miyu; that just didn't happen. Naruto wanted to think he might someday be able to, but his body had too much mass, or so Kabuto said.

They arrived at Oto's gate in less than five minutes. Miyu had to show herself again so both of them could be let in. The passageway leading into Oto was pitch black, but they were familiar enough with the place that they could walk through it without the need for light. The passage was a test, really, in case an enemy tried to infiltrate. If they weren't really from Oto, they could easily walk into a trap in the dark and they would be gone before they knew what hit them.

Another five minutes and they were out into a well-lit passage, and the sound of life began to filter in. Oto, unlike Konoha, mostly consisted of ninja and ninja wannabes. The ordinary civilians lived up in Kane no Mura. The sound that echoed in the tunnels wasn't that of ordinary life, but of training and brawling in a highly competitive environment.

Miyu showed him to the room where Orochimaru and Kabuto were waiting. The restraining bed was already out and ready, and beside it an array of instruments Naruto never managed to understand. He chewed his bottom lip. He had been in this kind of session before, but it was still nerve-wracking.

"Naruto-kun," said Orochimaru. His arms opened as his usual greeting. Naruto sighed and walked into the man's embrace.

"This is kind of embarrassing, Orochimaru-sama," he muttered. He could feel Kabuto's glare drilling a hole into the back of his head.

"Nonsense, child. No one is ever too old for a hug," said the Snake Sannin. Naruto sighed and thought he was sort of right.

He pushed away gently and looked around the room. There was a distinct lack of a familiar face there. "Where's Karin?" he asked, directing his question to Kabuto, who was preparing for their session.

Kabuto didn't look up. "She's busy with some samples. She will not be here today." He motioned to the bed with a smile. "Time for you to take a nap, Naruto-kun."

But Naruto didn't make a move towards the bed. He frowned. "I'd like Karin to be here just in case," he said.

Kabuto stared back at him with a mask of a smile that always unnerved Naruto. "We'll be fine without her, Naruto-kun."

Naruto chuckled. "Didn't we cause a little ruckus in the Northern Base just two months ago because you said that, Kabuto-san?" he countered.

Calling it a ruckus was probably an understatement; they'd destroyed the lab and a significant portion of the base. Without anyone to monitor his chakra system, he'd entered the four-tails form before the Kyuubi's chakra could be suppressed. It took Orochimaru and the Sound ninja a full day to subdue and revert him back to human form.

And just when Naruto was about to truly push the medic's temper, Orochimaru stepped in. "Kabuto, go get Karin."

Kabuto might not have liked the order, but he was loyal to Orochimaru in his own strange way and so he never objected unless absolutely necessary. "Very well then, Orochimaru-sama. I will be back shortly."

Naruto stuck out his tongue behind the man's back just for good measure. Kabuto didn't see it, of course. Orochimaru did. "You have a talent for provoking him, Naruto-kun," he said once Kabuto was gone. Naruto could hear amusement in his voice.

Naruto flashed him a smile. "He doesn't like stupid people like me, Orochimaru-sama. It's very easy when I can get him off the rail by just being myself," he said.

If it was Kabuto listening to this, he would have given Naruto a snort and dismissed him as a lost cause for not aiming to be better. Orochimaru, however, knew him better than that. He looked at Naruto's cryptic smirk and returned a smirk of his own. "Very well, then," he said, "but don't antagonize him too much. His work is valuable."

"Very well, Orochimaru-sama," he replied just when the door swung open. He saw Karin rush in right behind Kabuto and begin working on the anaesthetic right away.

"Are you ready?" Kabuto asked as he got ready himself. Naruto nodded. He took one last look at Orochimaru before stepping towards the bed, shrugging off his dusty orange haori as he went. Then he rolled up the black sleeveless undershirt, peeling it off to expose his torso, and particularly the seal on his stomach. It had become permanently visible thanks to the many sessions they had gone through, not that it mattered. He left the shirt carelessly on the floor before climbing on the bed. The restraints came over his arms and legs to hold him down in case he lost control. Karin's face came into view. He nodded.

Karin nodded back. She began counting, "Under in ten, nine, eight, seven, six-"

The world turned black, and when Naruto opened his eyes again, he was lying on a floor flooded with shallow water. It could only be one place.

"Hello, kit," rumbled the deep, resonant voice from behind red bars. "On the table again? How long since the last time?"

Naruto grinned as he got up. "Two months. Did you enjoy coming out to play last time, Old Fox?"

The demon fox snorted, but Naruto noticed an amused twist at the corner of his mouth. "Indeed? We had not reckoned such a span. It is difficult to discern the passage of time here. The terror of Our presence must have been truly great, if that impudent rat has waited so long to make another bid for control."

Naruto shrugged. "That, or he still remembers how we destroyed his work at the North Base. I think we make a great team."

The vast body of the demon fox finally came into view. "Such petty capering is beneath Our amusements, and yet We do so enjoy the engineering of that _rat's _misfortunes. Such gall it must possess, to seek to tame Wrath itself. Its hubris is astounding!"

"His and Orochimaru's both," Naruto corrected. He snorted. "People and power."

"You speak as if you are above such petty desire, apeling, " the fox said, snorting right back.

"Like I need you to tell me what I already know," Naruto countered. Their consciousness had been in close contact on and off for nearly a year now. While Naruto still had the privacy of his own thoughts, there really wasn't much he could hide from the Kyuubi. "Yes, I like your power. I like being powerful, but power is just a tool, isn't it?"

The fox narrowed his eyes. "You would dare speak so of Us, _child_?" he growled, rumbling the cavernous prison.

"No, no, no. Geez, keep it down. They'll know we're talking otherwise," Naruto shushed him. "Geez, you know I don't think of you like that. You got the short end of the stick as much as I did, and we're sharing this body. No reason to be enemies, right?" He huffed. "I'm saying that power is not the be-all-and-end-all, that's all. Don't get so worked up about this."

The fox gave him a sharp look. "I should eat you one of these days," he said while pacing the cell.

"Then who is going to keep you company and fight off your many suitors, Kurama-chan?" Naruto quipped, which earned him a withering look from the fox. Naruto laughed.

"Insufferable runt," the fox grumbled. "How long must the Snake remain placated? We grow weary of this place."

"A while yet. I'm still learning a lot of things from him and we still need Kabuto to work on us. So be patient, okay? I promise that we'll be out of here at the first sign of trouble."

That seemed to satisfy the demon somewhat, although he just huffed and continued to pace. Suddenly he stopped. Naruto stood a little straighter as well. Something was rippling across the edges of his awareness, stirring the water at his feet. He looked up, and blue eyes met red. He knew the Kyuubi felt it, too. "Kurama?"

The world went black again and Naruto had to try not to fight the pull on his consciousness. When he opened his eyes, disoriented, it was Karin's concerned face that came into view. "We're under attack," she said.

/***/

End of Chapter 19

**A/N:** Kane no Mura means the Village of the Bells according to Google Translate, that's where I get a lot of my Japanese words from. Corrections (with source(s), if you please) are welcome.

Okay, I have a problem. What should Sasuke wear? Should the style be more towards traditional Japanese clothing or modern clothing? Honestly, this guy is so hard to dress up!

And Ashimodo wanted to hear your opinions about Naruto's use of Kurama's name. Do you guys think it was too sudden, or just fine?

** nell** I'm glad you found this story enjoyable even after the first read. I hope this part of the story is just as enjoyable. :)

** Sevvus** Thank you for such a nice compliment, as wrong as that may sound to you. Well, the bright side is it can't any get worse than this now, can it? ...Actually, that question is not entirely rhetorical. I don't know either, so let's hope for the best, ne?

** ImagenMyWorld** Aww, thank you. I guess a box of tissue is not going to help, is it? Yeah, people are complicated, and so are their bonds. I'm glad you like it.

** Reign Of Sorrow **Thanks. It wasn't much of an enjoyable break because, urgh, work, but it's fine. Now I'm back writing, woohoo!

** TacitcalDubstep **Thanks, man. I hope I didn't make you wait too long.

** nekomode** Manipulative? Dear old me? Oh, no, no, no, I just don't want the reader to run out of tissue, that's all. (That is as convincing as a road kill trying to look cute, isn't it? Haha.)

I agree that Sakura's character in the canon has a major problem when Sasuke is involved. I think it's because she was defined either by being Naruto's crush or by her crush on Sasuke, so she was never a fully realized character until the two are out of the picture, which is really, really sad. I can't forgive Jiraiya, Tsunade, or Kakashi either. But then again, they are shinobi. They are wrong in the head by profession.

-I feel that you've achieved the right ratio of dialogue and mindfuck in Sasuke's dream ! *victory dance*

Funny that you should mention Naruto in a pirate costume. There's a chapter coming up soon named 'Scums of the Seven Seas' and Naruto is so in the middle of it. So that imagery is more apt than you might expect. *grin*

And yes, I am so using that interpretation of Itachi.

I'm not known to be the best at writing an ending, but I can maybe talk you through what might be an end point to the story. Two head is usually better than one, in my opinion. I have the same problem as you do. I jump fandom too often. (Because, hullo, more shipping!) This is the first long story that I manage to consistently produce the content to over 30 chapters, and that's a personal record. That's the reason I decide to post it actually, because I don't think it's going to stop on its own otherwise. If a story just keep writing itself, I think that's a really, really good sign. :)

** Alviniju** Thanks. Actually, this story has the highest traffic of any writing I ever put online, so I'm truly grateful for the level of support I have. I can also see why it might put some people off because this story is a bit of an odd combination between yaoi and plot-oriented story, which don't get mixed often enough in my opinion. It is also damn long, so I can understand people feeling like it's too much of an investment.

I actually think Naruto series began developing the Dragon-ball Syndrome in the fight between Naruto and Gaara, but you are right in that it became very obvious after the time-skip that there are just more and more powerful enemies and not much else. I've been and I will be avoiding that trap like a plague. I think good action scenes are good drama scenes (I'm actually paraphrasing Keishi Otomo here - kudos to the man). Having diverse enemies will definitely help in that regard because it will create emotional conflict that is (hopefully) able to sustain the scene.

I'm still thinking of what to do with the Fourth Shinobi War, because, honestly, nothing leading up to that makes sense to me. Nothing about the war makes sense to me either. The plan right now is to follow the main plot up to Pain's arc (the way there would be entirely different, though). After that, I still don't have anything concrete and honestly it worries me a little. But I'm still a long (very long) way to Pain's arc, so we still have time. Wish me luck on that.

** ZyiareHellsing **No, thank _you_ for reading and reviewing! :)

** Corpj123** Yep, a lot of stuff for Sasuke to do. And, yeah, I will have to warn for sexual content of any sort anyway, so the warning will definitely be there. I'll work out a system so that you can skip through the saucy stuff in the text as well as a chapter warning. I'll probably not warn for kisses though. There's no shock quality to that anymore, I don't think. (Gone were the days when parents warn children about kiss scenes in movies. Gods, I'm old.)

** SupernaturalHearts** I hope this is still as good as you remember it. Enjoy!


	20. Chapter 20:So We Meet Again My Heartache

**A/N:** The second chapter (after the timeskip) is in! Again, this chapter is edited by the brilliant Ashimodo.

Warning for a fight scene, and that's about it.

**Chapter 20: So We Meet Again My Heartache**

Quite frankly, Kabuto was uneasy with the turn of events. He knew from the start that Akatsuki was going to come knocking on Oto's door sooner or later for the Kyuubi vessel. One part of him wanted to greet them in gratitude for taking the troublesome child out of their hands. The other part knew that they could not allow Akatsuki to have Naruto, no matter the price.

It was a complicated predicament he was in. He knew Orochimaru's interest was not in Naruto but in the Kyuubi. Uzumaki Naruto was nothing more than a terrible shinobi who happened to house this powerful immortal being. Orochimaru chose Naruto because he wanted to know the secret of this creature, and Kabuto could accept that. Naruto was supposed to be a test subject like many people captured by Sound.

How he wished that had really been the case.

When the Master of Oto took interest in the boy, Kabuto consoled himself with the fact that Orochimaru had to assimilate Naruto to Sound somehow. Naruto was not like any other they had picked up. He was already powerful thanks to the Kyuubi, so it would be hard to keep him here if he eventually decided that he didn't want to stay. A home, a place he belonged, was how Orochimaru made him stay. That was why Orochimaru had to assume the role of an aloof father figure. That was why Orochimaru provided Naruto with a personalized education. That was why Naruto was allowed to interact with other Sound ninja and went out on missions with them. That was why Orochimaru brought him along to other bases even though keeping him under lock and key was more practical, all things considered.

But little by little, Kabuto found it hard to bring himself to believe that story, not after he caught Orochimaru snickering quietly to Naruto's remarks with increasing frequency, not after he walked into Orochimaru's bedroom to find the boy sleeping soundly on his master's bed like it was his own. The more time passed, the more lenient Orochimaru became with Naruto, the more Kabuto was unable to believe that the Master of Oto did not enjoy the boy's presence for its own sake.

And Naruto's influence did not stop at Orochimaru. Naruto seemed to have a way of charming people whether they wanted him to or not. He got friendly with the formidable Sound Four. He even had a connection or two in Sound's intelligence unit. He seemed to remember a lot of useless things about the teams he had been on, and also managed to use that knowledge whenever he needed a favour. While no one would openly declare allegiance to Naruto or call him a friend, Kabuto had heard whispers and seen eyes that followed the boy in grudging admiration.

The activity in the war room came to a halt when Naruto barged in. No one made a move to stop him despite his lack of rank. And no one blinked an eye when he sat down beside the Master of Oto as if it were his rightful place. That alone was a louder statement of his power than anything else Naruto could have done.

"What did I miss?" he asked, interrupting the slew of reports.

One of the ninja answered him immediately. "Long story short, Akatsuki has sent two of its men into Kane's forest. We surmise that they come for you, Naruto-sama." Kabuto's eyebrow twitched at the honorific.

"Do they know where we are?" Naruto asked.

"They don't know about the doorways, or at least they didn't try them, but they seem to be taking the path up the mountain."

At this Naruto stole a glance at Orochimaru and said, "They know about the Vault." Orochimaru nodded. There was a gleam of amusement in the

Sannin's eyes that Kabuto didn't quite like. Naruto became agitated and stood again. "I'm going up there."

"Naruto-kun," Kabuto interjected. "They are coming after _you._ I don't think presenting yourself to the enemy is wise."

"Well, it's either I go up there and finish them off, _or_ we could let them find the passage down from the Vault and destroy everything in their path before they get to me." Naruto's voice and mannerism were completely different from the boy in the experiment chamber just over an hour ago. "In the latter case, this base is going to be fully discovered at the least, or completely ruined at worst. I've heard you have a lot of valuable works going on here, Kabuto-san. I don't suppose you'd like them destroyed right now."

Kabuto shut his mouth and smiled gracefully. He didn't trust his voice.

Satisfied that he had shut Kabuto up, Naruto turned to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-sama, I know it's not Akatsuki's style to send a team larger than two, but there's a possibility that this could be a diversion, considering they might also be after you. I'd like Oto to send a protection team up to Kane no Mura and put it under lockdown for the duration of the battle in case more enemies try to get in."

"Granted," was the only thing Orochimaru said. It seemed to be the only thing Orochimaru had ever said to Naruto recently.

"And can I have my team and Juugo up there with me?"

"Juugo?" Kabuto said. Juugo was a test subject, not a shinobi. Kabuto knew of his abilities very well, but doubted they would be useful when he could not control who he attacked.

"Yep," Naruto said with a grin before turning back to Orochimaru. "Do I have your permission, Orochimaru-sama?"

As if Orochimaru could refuse him anything these days. "Granted, Naruto-kun," the Master of Oto said. "Come back safely."

"I will," said the boy before he bent down and kissed Orochimaru on the corner of his mouth, a display that shocked absolutely everybody. He then smiled, ran out of the room, and shouted down the hallway, "Karin, we have a mission!"

Kabuto tried his best to keep his face straight as people in the room began secretly snickering. Even Orochimaru had a small upturn at the corner of his lips. The ill-concealed panic in the room seemed to have calmed down, but the one in Kabuto's stomach was getting much worse. Despite not being shinobi material, Naruto was nevertheless dangerous. Kabuto had seen that, had watched in abject horror as everyone else seemed to miss the fact. He watched as the little monster seemed to reach ever deeper into the core of Otogakure. Kabuto could only begin to guess why he did it. Naruto's moves were never clear enough for him to make any form of educated guess.

So Kabuto did what he had always done: he sat back and waited for Naruto to take his turn.

/***/

Kakashi had been to a lot of places, but he had never been to a place like the ancient forest of Kane before.

The first moment they set foot in it, he just knew that this place was old, older than anything a human could think of. The tree trunks were large and canopies thick and nearly impenetrable by sunlight. The path in the forest was clear of bushes, but they had to be careful of rocks and tree roots.

"Phew, I haven't been here in such a long time," said their guide Akito as he led them through a shortcut into Kane no Mura. The usual roads would go further south to avoid having to cut through the mountain and the forest, and would take too much time.

He could feel his team tense up, which was understandable. They were going into an unknown land guided by a stranger who claimed to be a former resident of Kane no Mura, the aboveground portion of Otogakure. He didn't even claim to know how to get underground, but said he knew someone who would.

"So, Akito-san," Kakashi began conversationally, "how long since you've been here?"

At this the guide said, "Oh, twelve years, I think. My father left the hamlet so that my ailing mother could have better access to medical care. I haven't been back since. I was just ten back then."

"If that's the case, are you sure this Oba-san would still be around? She sounds old to me. Her relative might have moved her into town just as your father did," Kakashi remarked.

Akito shook his head and said, "I don't think so. You see, since about nine years ago, people in Kane no Mura stopped leaving for medical care at all, which is strange for a small place like this. The number of requests for doctors to come to the village also dropped gradually since that time. Some doctors in the surrounding area jokingly said they have found the fountain of youth in the forest of Kane." He chuckled humorlessly. "But I know this forest. There isn't a fountain of youth here, even if the trees seems to live forever."

Kakashi nodded. "So that's why you think it might be Orochimaru's work," he said.

"Yes," said Akito. "I'm just a doctor, but I do know Kane no Mura. The facts just don't add up. Someone else has been doing something around this place."

The disdain in his voice was clear. He disliked the idea that some shinobi might settle here and experiment on the people of Kane no Mura. That was why when he was approached to be a guide for a shinobi team from Konoha, he quickly agreed.

They spent another few hours trudging through the woods before they could see the road and houses again. Akito didn't lead them out of the wood right away, and told them to stay quiet. He really didn't know who was who anymore, so he thought they shouldn't chance it lest someone reported their arrival to Oto.

They came out of the forest at the back of a house. Akito motioned them to follow behind him before he called out, "Baa-chan! Izumi-baachan. It's Akito."

An old lady opened the back door and narrowed her eyes. "Akito?"

"Yes, Baa-chan, it's Akito. I'm travelling with some friends and passing by here so I stopped by to say hi," he said. The introduction went smoothly before old lady Izumi invited them inside for some tea. Akito and Izumi spent some time catching up before the doctor redirected the line of questioning. "See, my friends here are interested in seeing the tunnels underneath the Kane forest. I'd hoped you could tell us how to get there."

"Oh, really?" the old lady smiled. "Strangely enough, there have been a number of people pretty interested in the tunnels recently." Sasuke was sitting behind Kakashi, but the jounin could feel his student perk up at the comment.

Akito seemed to catch the young man staring and quickly asked before Sasuke could, "Who are they, Izumi-baachan? Do you know them?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. They never came to ask me actually, because I'm always relaxing here, not seeing a lot of people nowadays. But people in the village had been asked about it quite a bit. One of them was even given money to show the way, but he didn't take it, of course. You know we don't show our family's tunnels. It's a very private place."

"I see, Izumi-san," Kakashi said with a smile. "If it's private, we don't want to intrude, but I've heard the tunnels are very long and go many ways.

Are there any sections that we can get a glimpse of without intruding into private properties?"

Izumi-san looked thoughtful at that. "There used be parts that weren't claimed by the families, and those are hard to get to anyway. I don't know why anyone would be interested in walking through the waterways just to get to those tunnels. That was why they weren't claimed before."

"Before, Baa-san?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, they were believed to belong to the gods in the ancient days - that the God of Fire himself resided there for a long, long time before this forest was here. It was said that he fell asleep in the tunnels and woke up to find his home covered by the woods. He was so moved by the beauty of the trees that he left, afraid his power might destroy them. What we have left now is the Vault on top of the mountain, where the God of Fire departed this land."

"Do you mean there was a volcano here?" Sakura asked. Kakashi could feel a restless and ominous aura from Sasuke and discreetly pinched the raven's leg. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the jounin, but Kakashi just ignored him. He knew Sasuke was probably restless from all the small talk and just wanted to go find Otogakure and Naruto already. All Sasuke had ever thought of was Naruto since the blond boy left Konoha.

"Yes, Sakura-san. In fact, the formation of the tunnels and underground waterways started due to this volcano," Akito supplied.

Sakura nodded, adopting an innocent look that made Kakashi uneasy. "Is there a way to get to those tunnels, Baa-san?"

Izumi was going to answer when a _boom_ from somewhere within the forest startled all of them. Kakashi's first thought was of the Akatsuki and that they had started their attack more boldly than he anticipated. He chanced a look at Sasuke and saw him staring towards the direction of the noise, ready to run. Their eyes met for a second and Kakashi shook his head. They weren't there to engage with Akatsuki. They were there for Naruto. One of the worst things that could happen was their discovery by Sound. They had to keep their priorities straight.

"Kaa-san!" a middle-aged woman rushed into the room a moment later. She barely acknowledged them as she said, "Kaa-san, something's happening! We have to get to the tunnel."

The old lady chuckled, "Oh, that's probably just the boy doing his thing again."

The daughter looked utterly exasperated. She walked over to her mother and began to help her up. "Kaa-san, please. It'll be safer if we take the signal seriously and go to the tunnel. Your guests can come with us."

"Thank you. That is very generous of you" said Akito. They got up and followed the mother and daughter out of the house. Other villagers were on the street as well, closing their houses and hurriedly leaving for their family's tunnel. Some people stopped and stared at them, but seeing Izumi with them, they simply went on their way.

The entrance of the tunnel wasn't far away, but it was well hidden between boulders and the roots of the trees. Izumi's daughter brushed the gravel away and underneath it was a metal bolt carved as a inconspicuous volcanic rock. She turned the bolt and a door sprung open from the forest floor. Kakashi lifted his eyebrows. That was one clever contrapment, so clever the jounin had not thought an ordinary villager would have the skill to craft it.

Akito was the first to jump in and helped Izumi down. The old woman's daughter followed. Sakura was able to get in by herself without Akito's help. As he turned to Kakashi to motion him to follow, the man froze. "Where's Sasuke-san?" he asked.

Kakashi looked behind him and found nothing but thin air. Only one word sprang to mind:

"Shit."

/***/

As soon as he saw the trapdoor to the tunnel, Sasuke knew there was no way out if he ever stepped in. Kakashi had miscalculated. There was no way they could find Naruto if they still tried to keep their cover. So he took the chance when everyone was busy shuffling down the hole and ran, katana at his side. He had no doubt the explosion was due to the Akatsuki's attack. He was also willing to bet that Akatsuki would begin their search at the crater if they knew how the tunnels were formed.

He rushed up the slope, dodging between tall trees and skipping over rocks as he climbed as fast as possible to the summit. There was no other sound, just the eerie silence of the forest. He didn't dwell on the thoughts of whether the Akatsuki succeeded in finding the entrance to Otogakure or not. He just kept running, using only the slope of the mountain as his guide.

The longer he ran, the clearer he could hear the sounds of clashing. People were fighting. He wondered briefly if Naruto would be there, if he was still the number one knucklehead ninja who rushed headfirst into things. He hadn't heard anything about Naruto in almost three years. There were times when he had hoped traveling with Jiraiya would lead him to clues about the blond boy, but that hope was soon dashed. Orochimaru was too smart to let something like that slip, in case Konoha found them. So Sasuke had spent the past three years guessing what Naruto would have been like. He'd spent three years in training chasing a phantom he had no certainty was even real.

The trees seemed to part and suddenly the darkness of the forest was replaced with blinding light. He was out at the edge of the crater, but before he could have a good look at what was going on, a strong gust of wind made him take cover. It was from underneath his arm trying to block off any possible debris that he spotted a tornado forming from the crater. Then suddenly the funnel was set ablaze, the wind feeding the fire. It might have been the trick of the wind, but Sasuke thought he heard a scream coming from inside the funnel.

Suddenly, the flame stopped. The funnel disappeared. The strong wind became a light breeze. Sasuke sprang up and ran to the edge to see what had happened. He was just in time to witness two colossal hands of stone closing on a burning figure in a gesture of prayer. The agonizing scream was silenced as the hands pressed together, confining and crushing whoever was inside.

Sasuke didn't dwell on the sight for long before another movement caught his eyes. He saw two large men engaging in a high-speed fight. Sasuke activated his Sharingan to follow their movements. One of them was clad in black with his arms bare. The black tattoos on his lower arms and the dark threads crisscrossing over wounds reminded Sasuke of a ragdoll. _Kakuzu_, his mind supplied. There was no mistaking from the insane taijutsu ability or the variety of elemental jutsu. Kakashi and Jiraiya had warned him about this man and his immortality. Taking him down would be challenging to say the least.

But his opponent was not doing so bad. Just as Kakuzu changed his jutsu, the man changed his form to counter them. The only thing that did not change was his bright orange hair and his massive stature. Still, he was forced back by the Akatsuki's superior technique. That was when a man dressed in blue joined the fight. He swung his oversized sword at Kakuzu as the giant charged. Black strings shot out of Kakuzu's arm to stop the swordsman and fling him towards the giant. The shape of the orange-haired man shifted again, quickly healing the wound from the sword before he too threw the blue man away, and with a manic laugh charged at Kakuzu once more.

That was when Sasuke spotted a redhead running towards the swordsman before crouching down next to him. He could hear something along the line of "You idiot" coming from the redhead in a pitch that told Sasuke she was a girl. He couldn't quite make out what she did when the man planted his face in her arm and after a short moment stood up and picked up his sword again.

A loud impact diverted Sasuke's attention, and his eyes moved to its direction. The beast was shoved back, his large body leaving a trail of dust and debris as it slid across the crater floor. Sasuke had been so intent on the fight that it was only then that he noticed another figure, a man in orange and black. When the beast stopped, the figure moved. As the dust settled, he could see the short blond hair, the tattered orange haori, and whisker marks forming dark bands on the cheeks. Even though it had been three years, Sasuke could not have mistaken him for anyone else, not even when the short blond boy was long gone. In front of him was a young man with a powerful stature, glorious even when he was clearly battered. But he wasn't down. Like the Naruto Sasuke knew all those years ago, the blond simply didn't take defeat as an option.

Sasuke watched as Naruto wrestled the mighty beast down, performed a series of handsigns, and slammed his right hand against the back of the monster's neck. Sasuke heard a shrill howl, and the orange-haired man transformed again: his legs grew long and leonine, and his fists stretched into claws. His shoulders widened just enough for Naruto to comfortably sit. Sasuke grimaced as he saw the black marks on his friend's exposed arm, moving synchronously with the marks on the beast. The insane rampage earlier tapered off as the beast moved restlessly but purposefully underneath the blond.

"Right," growled Naruto in a deep, nearly inhuman voice. He and the creature beneath him turned to face Kakuzu in perfect synchronization. "Time to take you out now."

The man responded by falling into a combat stance. "That Hidan played around too much, didn't he?" he said.

Naruto and the beast charged.

The speed of the fight seemed to have increased. The attacks from the giant were more purposeful and in perfect synchronization with Naruto's, making it difficult for Kakuzu to use elemental jutsu. However, he was still able to block them using mostly taijutsu. Sasuke swallowed. It was clear that Naruto was giving his all already. If nothing changed soon, Kakuzu might actually win.

Suddenly, the ground in the crater cracked and rumbled. The rocks stirred as five pillars of stone rose up from underneath the Akatsuki. He was going to jump away, but the giant charged in for the kill, diverting Kakuzu's attention. He was able to slip from the grasp of the stone hands, but not the armlock with the orange-haired man. That left Kakuzu wide open to Naruto's attack. The familiar blue glow appeared in the blond's hand just a heartbeat before it went right through Kakuzu's chest.

Just as Sasuke thought it was over, Kakuzu's stomach opened and black veinlike cords shot out towards Naruto. The blond pulled his arm back and tried to evade the stings, but they moved around as if they had a life of their own. In a blink of an eye, Kakuzu had Naruto in a deathgrip. The blond tried to move, but he couldn't do more than turn away from the creeping veins and shouted, "Saya!"

That was when Sasuke spotted a woman with long brown hair tied up in a pony tail. She levelled the spear in her hand before charging, running the spear into Kakuzu's back in one smooth motion.

"Two to go," the redhead shouted from the sideline.

"Suigetsu!" Saya shouted, and the blue fighter swept in with his large sword slicing from the side. The sword bit halfway, but a vascular bundle stopped the attack from going any further.

"Shit!" Suigetsu shouted. "Did I get him, Karin!?"

"There's one heart left!" she shouted frantically. Sasuke understood what was going on then. The enemy had multiple hearts, so to kill him they had to destroy every one. Without a second thought, he jumped down from the edge and began to sprint. With his Sharingan, he could see the outline of where the last heart was. With his speed, Kakuzu could not stop him. He ramped up the chakra to his hand, let the lightning blaze, and within a few seconds he was in position to deliver the kill. His left hand punched through in one clean swoop. The Akatsuki tried with his last breath to grabbed Sasuke but he was too weak to do him any harm.

He wasn't sure how long they spent in that position, tangled up in the black cords and in each other. Sasuke and the Sound team were still on high alert, not sure what was happening, when the redhead - Karin - said, "His chakra's gone. He's dead."

They all simultaneously let out a breath. The Akatsuki were dead and everything seemed right again, until they realized that Sasuke was there. They all pulled back into combat stance around him. "You're not from Sound," said Karin.

That was when Suigetsu swung his sword and charged at him, only to skid to a halt at the sound of Naruto's voice. "Don't, Suigetsu. You're no match for him," said the blond as he broke free from the strings. When his eyes met Sasuke's, they were as blue as the cloudless sky above them. Sasuke realized then just how long it had been since he had seen Naruto's eyes like that.

"Whaddaya mean, Boss!" shouted Suigetsu, who was clearly annoyed by the comment.

Naruto's eyes left Sasuke and looked at the blue man instead. "Look at his eyes, you idiot! Do you think your clunky sword can go up against Sharingan?" he said as he got down from the beast, who had slowly shrunken to the shape of a man. He could feel Suigetsu looking him over, but he didn't turn to look at how he responded. Sasuke kept his eyes firmly on Naruto.

It had been almost three years, but it felt like a lifetime. Back then, Naruto was a snotty-faced shorty who had no grace about him whatsoever. The Naruto in front of him was a bit taller than Sasuke, who was reasonably tall for his age. He didn't know if it was even naturally possible to grow that fast in three years, not to mention packing in some muscles as well. Naruto didn't at all look like a lanky teenager who just went through a massive growth spurt. His physique was that of a warrior, built and trained until it had become a machine for combat. The combination of the mature body and boyish face looked wrong to Sasuke. He didn't want to think this was Orochimaru's doing. He didn't want to think what else Orochimaru might have done to Naruto.

"You must be Uchiha Sasuke of the Leaf," came a woman's voice. He threw a glance her way. It was the spear user Naruto called Saya. Her spear was still by her side in a resting position. Her eyes that pierced through him like she was reading him. Sasuke didn't confirm or deny his identity. "I want to let you know that you are trespassing into Otogakure's territory, and therefore, we have every right to take you down."

"Damn right," said Suigetsu. He didn't move to a fighting stance but he didn't put his sword away either.

"My business here is with Naruto, not with Oto," said Sasuke.

Naruto snorted. "I have no business with you, bastard."

"You heard the man," Suigetsu said, looking at Sasuke like he wanted to chop him in two.

"Suigetsu..." Naruto warned. "We are done here, so why don't you escort yourself out and save us the trouble of having to chase you away, Uchiha?" he said dismissively before turning his back on Sasuke. Again.

"I am not going until you come home with me," Sasuke replied in a rush. "I've looked for you for three years. I am not going to just let you disappear again. "

Naruto stopped walking, but his back was still facing Sasuke. "How touching," he said. "I haven't thought of you once."

Sasuke's chest tightened. He didn't let it show. "Don't make me drag you back by the legs, Dead-last," he hissed.

At this, Naruto laughed. "As if you can touch me now," he mocked.

Sasuke charged at him immediately. He was much faster than he was three years ago with much more stamina to go with it. He could get into Naruto's space, his fist swinging, before the blond could dodge.

What Sasuke didn't expect was for Naruto's hand to shoot up and catch his fist from over his shoulder. The impact didn't seemed to register with the blond at all as he slipped his hand to Sasuke's wrist and threw him across the crater. Sasuke twisted in midair and landed in a crouch on a rock nearly ten meters away. Naruto was looking at him when he looked up, but the blond soon turned away again. Sasuke's hand clenched at his side. He wasn't going to let his friend ignore him. He charged again, intent on beating some sense into the blond.

Suddenly a girl appeared in front of him. He moved to the right to avoid her, but she matched him as easily as his shadow. Sasuke moved again, and there she was again. Her eyes watched him in unnerving silence.

"Miyu!" he heard the Dope shout, "Don't interfere with my fight!"

"Unfortunately, Naruto-kun, this is not your fight," another voice said from somewhere close to Naruto and Sasuke cursed under his breath. With more enemies showing up, using his Sharingan for anything aside from tracking would be difficult, and he was already having trouble getting rid of this Miyu-girl. He stole a glance to his left and there was a guy dressed like those Sound ninja that took Naruto three years ago.

"Your mission was to destroy the Akatsuki members that attacked Oto," came another female voice from behind him. "You have accomplished that, Naruto-kun."

"Protecting Oto's territory is the job of the Sound Four," said a boy who suddenly appeared on Sasuke's right. "Your fight is over now, Naruto-niichan."

Naruto let out a 'Tch' before turning away. "Fine! Remember to clean up the mess afterward, all right?" he said.

"Haaaiiiii," came the reply of the four, except for Miyu, who still stared at Sasuke like she didn't need to blink. The other Sound ninja where leaving with Naruto, taking the route up the crater's wall and disappearing.

Sasuke bit his lips. He had let Naruto get away. Again.

/***/

End Chapter 20

**A/N:**

** dragonfox123 yaoi123 Corpj123 **Thanks, guys! Hope this update is not too late for you, my friends. :)

** Kasharo** Thanks! I thought the same, too. I'm going to change the plot in the manga for a lot of story arcs, so I hope you'd like that too.

** guest** This story arc leans very heavily towards Naruto, so we'll get to know what he has been up to. There'll be another arc that leans heavily towards Sasuke, so stay tuned!

** kitsunelova** Yes! Another crew on the Screw700 team! Great to know you enjoy the role reversal. :)

** wierdsquirrelgirl** Great to hear that you like the description of Oto. I actually took the image of the hideout where Sasuke met up with Orochimaru after the Valley of the End and ran with it. It took a life of its own after a while.

And thanks for your suggestion on Sasuke's outfit. Now that you mentioned something akin to ANBU, I think I know when Sasuke is going to get an outfit like that. He'll literally lose his shirt a couple of time, so actually every suggestion has a chance of appearing in the story.

** reiths89** Thanks! If you come across another role-reversal fic, let me know. I'd like to see what other people are doing.

** kamui5** I hope you enjoy Naruto kicking asses in this one. :P Itachi is a really complicated character, so without having him resurrected it's going to be difficult to see if he's good or bad.

** SupernaturalHearts** Great to hear you enjoy this! I totally would not recommend anybody taking up writing long fanfiction when studying full-time all year round (unless the degree is creative writing, then by all means write). I like getting feedbacks from you guys, though, so it's worth it. And thanks for letting us know what you think about Naruto using Kurama's name so casually and about Sasuke's outfit. I can totally see him in a loose shirt. My headcanon is that Sasuke is really bad with hot weather, so he likes to wear loose clothes for the breeze. And definitely not the ass-bow. Damn the ass-bow.


	21. Chapter 21: Scums of the Seven Seas

**A/N: **Another chapter awesomely edited by Ashimodo. Also a quick shout of thank you to all the favs, follows, and reviews. You guys are awesome!

Warning for some underage drinking in this chapter, unless you live in the few countries that are cool with drinking at 16.

**Chapter 21: Scums of the Seven Seas**

Orochimaru stared at the monitor as the shaky image flashed across the screen. Naruto had beaten Hidan and Kakuzu without losing a limb. None of his teammates were severely injured. And Juugo was under control. The sannin could sense the confusion coming from Kabuto, who was watching the monitor only a seat away from him. A smile graced his lips. The reaction was to be expected, he supposed. Nobody had before managed to impose clarity on Juugo when he was in his murderous rampage without completely reversing him to his human form. That was why Juugo himself insisted that he be locked away with as little human contact as possible. But now he could be controlled. Orochimaru's thoughts raced through the doors of possibilities as they swung open one after the other in his mind.

Kabuto must have sensed his good mood, because he asked, "Is there something particularly amusing, Orochimaru-sama?"

The Snake Sannin chuckled. "Many things, Kabuto-kun."

"...Is it because of Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto ventured.

Orochimaru shot a look at his assistant. Truly, Kabuto thought Uchiha Sasuke would be amusing to him? Appealing, yes. The sannin had enjoyed watching Sasuke fight the Sound Four. He had indeed grown into a formidable fighter, as an Uchiha would. Orochimaru couldn't help but feel the pull to have the boy again, but he didn't order his capture.

It was how those beautiful eyes looked when they turned to Naruto that made him stop.

Orochimaru had known from the beginning that there was a bond between Sasuke and Naruto. They were teammates, after all. They also had darkness in their hearts that made them susceptible to manipulation. Sasuke's darkness wasn't complete the first time they met, not enough to be used against the boy. Naruto's darkness was more consuming, more breathtaking. Orochimaru thought that, given time, Sasuke would be ready as well, like a ripe fruit for the picking.

But that look, however brief it was, told Orochimaru that the plan might have been foiled. He didn't know if he should curse Jiraiya for this. His former teammate had always been too easily seduced by the light to see the darkness within. He shouldn't have been able to reach Sasuke at all. Yet, there was the boy, changed beyond Orochimaru's recognition. Uchiha Sasuke the Avenger was nowhere to be found, not when he looked at Naruto like a child desperate for attention.

No, it wasn't amusing. It was a disaster.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun's arrival is interesting indeed, but that is not _the_ most interesting thing, is it?"

Kabuto's eyes shifted to Juugo on the screen. Now he was looking at the right place. "You were aware of this, Orochimaru-sama?" he asked.

"Yes, Kabuto-kun," said the sannin with barely concealed glee. "It seems that the experiment is going well."

His assistant looked surprised. "An experiment, Orochimaru-sama?" he said.

The sannin smirked. "The one Naruto-kun has been performing on the side with Saya and Karin. Intriguing, isn't it?"

Kabuto looked like he didn't believe what he had just heard, which did not surprise Orochimaru in the slightest. When he'd first decided upon Naruto, he had never thought of him as anything but a vessel of the Nine-tails. Three years in, many people - including Kabuto - still saw him as nothing more than a blustering failure. But Orochimaru knew better. Naruto didn't show much promise for academia, but he asked questions, and many of them. Orochimaru didn't have the patience to teach him, so he assigned Saya to him instead. She might be one of Oto's failed geniuses, but Saya was at least clever enough to make herself useful as a teacher. It was Saya who came to the conclusion that Naruto was simply a creature of action rather than contemplation, that he needed experimentation. That had been their pedagogy since, and it had worked wonders for the boy.

"I let Naruto-kun keep Juugo as a pet because he is very interested in the man's condition. He has been studying Juugo since they first encountered each other at the Northern Base. We know that Juugo's condition was due to chakra overflow, but no one is certain why he has multiple personalities. Naruto-kun hypothesized that as our emotions affect our chakra flow, the reverse is also true. Therefore, an outside control of the chakra flow during Juugo's rage can suppress the murderous personality and allow him to be in control of his actions."

Kabuto blinked. Orochimaru could see that he understood the implication of this experiment for Naruto and his immense chakra reserve, the Nine-tails.

"I see you are following, Kabuto-kun," said the sannin with an amused smile, but he went on. "In order to compete with that power, the controller must inject an amount of his own chakra into Juugo and manipulate it to suppress the murderous rage."

"By injection of chakra," his assistant began, "I hope you do not mean-"

"Oh, I do mean it, Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru said. His lips pursed back in delight. "Naruto-kun has created the Uzumaki cursed seal."

/***/

Juugo was touching the seal on the back of his neck again. He'd done that several times since returning to human form. Saya suspected it must ache after being active for a long time. They had tested it in some simple training, usually with Suigetsu as the target, but they hadn't yet tried it in any real combat. Juugo had been coping well with the seal and Naruto's intervention, but they still had no idea how it might affect him during prolonged activation. There was also the psychological effect that they hadn't yet taken into account. Juugo normally objected to the use of violence. Although he had agreed to support Naruto in a fight, it did not mean it wouldn't bother him, especially when it was influenced by an outside will.

Naruto noticed this too. He turned to ask Juugo if he was all right just as they were to go into the tunnel. Juugo nodded. Naruto still looked worried, but he turned his attention to wading the knee-deep water as they entered the passageway. Suigetsu and Karin complained about taking this way back into Oto since it was littered with Water Lilies, traps designed to capture shinobi walking on the surface of the water. The combination of the Water Lilies and other traps made this the most difficult doorway in the system, but Naruto insisted that they take it in case the Leaf ninja tried to follow them.

Saya didn't know much about Naruto's time in the Hidden Leaf aside from that he was their Nine-tails' vessel. She understood very well that they would come after him sooner or later. But Leaf had never made bold moves before, let alone sent somebody right into Oto's territory.

And then there was that interaction between Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

She was surprised at how desperate the Uchiha heir seemed when Naruto dismissed him. There seemed to be resentment from Naruto's side, but she couldn't quite tell, not when Naruto had never mentioned the raven once since she knew him. She didn't want to pry too much into his past when Naruto did not want to talk about it, but she would have to now that Leaf was going to be a problem.

But first they had to report to Orochimaru. They went straight to the war room after they got out of the waterway. Otogakure was already back to life when they arrived. It seemed that the news of their victory had travelled faster than they did. She wasn't surprised, really. She would be more surprised if Orochimaru let his prized pet out of his sight for too long, especially with the Akatsuki as their enemy. She was sure, though, that whatever was filmed wasn't intended for the consumption of the entire village. It seemed that the line got tapped anyway. She wouldn't even be surprised if there was a betting pool in the mess hall as they fought.

The affair in the war room was much more sedated than outside. No loud shouting or cursing, but she could feel the relief. They had all seen the battle. They knew Naruto won, another shiny notch on the kid's list of accomplishments.

"Naruto-kun," greeted Orochimaru with open arms, and Naruto obediently went for the hug like a good boy. Saya could see Kabuto sitting further away with barely contained frustration. Saya smirked to herself. Kabuto was never very good when he felt his position was threatened. Naruto might not want to take Kabuto's place, but he sure was close enough to make Kabuto squirm, and the result, if Saya dared say, was entertaining.

"Congratulations to all of you," said Orochimaru to the rest of them, fixing each of them with a stare for a precisely calculated length of time, before turning his gaze to Naruto. "Especially to you, Naruto-kun. You did very well."

Naruto just scratched the back of his neck with a wide goofy smile on his face.

"Yes, nice work indeed," said Kabuto with much less sincerity. Saya could feel the tension in Kabuto's gaze as he looked at Naruto. "No one else would have taken down two Akatsuki members with as big a bang as you did, Naruto-kun."

Saya discreetly sent the man a glare. That was a backhanded compliment from Kabuto all right. And really, if Akatsuki didn't warrant a bang, who did?

Naruto just smiled back with coldness in his eyes as he said, "Thanks, Kabuto-san. It's nice of you to acknowledge my style once in a while."

Kabuto's eyebrows twitched, but his smile remained in place.

Naruto was able to refrain from huffing and sticking his nose up like Saya knew he wanted to. An improvement, if she might say so. Naruto never took Kabuto's criticism very well. Saya didn't put too much weight in the man's words. She had always been of the opinion that the medic nin didn't understand combat strategy very well. There were a lot of people like him in Oto who believed a well thought-out strategy was a complicated set of plans with three layers to them, every one of them as clever as the other. That would have worked for a board game, but in real combat, a strategy was knowing your capabilities and knowing your enemy's. It was knowing what to do and when to do it. It was having a simple but effective plan of actions with little possibility of failure. It was about being flexible and accounting for uncontrollable events through straightforward and effective reactions. If it meant confronting the enemy directly and eliminating them outright, then so be it.

Saya used to be all about complicated gameplay and powerful jutsu until she was about Naruto's age. A decade on and she had yet to have a change in perspective as profound. She'd been called a genius in Oto when she'd first arrived, up to the point where she realized that they all had it backwards. The mind game was fun, but it cost too much energy and time to be efficient. That was when she ditched Oto's way of thinking and opted for simplicity. That was also when her reputation in Oto started to decline and she went out of favour. To Saya, that was the best thing that had happened to her.

She liked to think that her kind of strategy was why her team's success rate was nearly triple that of the other teams of the same rank, but she would have been delusional. If each team's members weren't as good or as dedicated to their goal as they were, if they didn't trust each other or trust her, none of the strategies would have worked the way they did. Naruto understood this, too. That was a strength Naruto had that both Kabuto and Orochimaru didn't: he acknowledged that he needed other people to succeed.

But she wasn't going to tell Kabuto that. Information, after all, was power.

They were dismissed minutes later to get some rest. The experiment that Naruto was supposed to be in was postponed in favour of having him fit and ready for the next session. Both Karin and Naruto seemed to breathe a little easier as they left the war room for the mess hall to find something to eat.

"I'm famished," Naruto muttered, slumping forward with exaggerated hunger. "I wish baa-san's shop was open right now. I could use a good bowl of ramen."

"I'm sure Kane no Mura is still in lockdown. The protection team needs time to clear the area," Saya told him.

Naruto huffed. She knew he knew it, he simply didn't want to go to the mess hall for rationed food. The prospect of being around so many unruly people put Juugo off and he asked to return to his cell. Naruto objected, but he also knew more than the rest of them how being in the crowd affected Juugo. Naruto seemed to tune into the man's mood easily, and sometimes Saya wondered if they had more in common than the extra chakra they had to wrestle with. Naruto had been the one to seek Juugo out after he learned about the cursed seal. He'd been the one insisting that Juugo should be freed despite the fact that the man didn't want to be. It was Naruto who had come to Saya about the possibility of a cursed seal of his own that would allow Juugo to be in control of himself - with Naruto's help. She hadn't wanted to mess with something that complicated, but Naruto had a way of flashing his baby-blues that made it rather hard to say no.

Even now when things were going well, Naruto was still concerned about how Juugo was feeling. As they approached the cell, Naruto patted his back and said, "Let us know if you feel anything strange, all right? And I mean _anything_. Seal or no seal involved."

Juugo's eyes softened a little. He nodded but didn't say anything as he walked inside and allowed Naruto to lock him in. The blond just sighed as he shut the door, twisted the key, and put it on a cord around his neck. This key belonged to Naruto, as Juugo's life belonged to Naruto. Saya knew how much the blond hated the fact that a human could be treated like property, that sometimes freedom wasn't a choice. Confinement was Juugo's safety net, so Naruto let him have his peace.

After that they headed to the mess hall, one of the few places in the village for the shinobi to hang out. A room full of competitive young people who weren't too concerned with manners was bound to be a scene of chaos. As they sat down at one of the long tables for some much deserved meal time, she could hear someone saying in not so quiet a voice that "The scums are back." Suigetsu glared right back at them and Saya had to clear her throat. Looking at somebody wrong could cause a fight in Oto. People here were always competing with each other and not necessarily in a healthy way. Egos made them jealous easily, especially if that someone didn't really fit the ideal of a great shinobi. After all, Naruto was an idiot, Karin a lab rat, Suigetsu a test subject, Juugo a pet, and Saya an underachieving prodigy.

Naruto had reacted badly when he first came to Oto, but he'd gotten used to it quickly enough. Suigetsu had a harder time, mostly because he was a proud person but in part because he hadn't been quite desensitized yet. He'd been with them for just a year. That was the time Suigetsu was finally released from the confinement tube. Saya remembered months of him and Naruto arguing, because Naruto tried to get Suigetsu out but Suigetsu wouldn't accept any terms Naruto put forth. Names were called. Family members were insulted. Middle fingers flew back and forth. Karin complained for weeks about headaches from having to work while the two screamed at each other for hour after long, agonizing hour. But somewhere along the line, Naruto became Suigetsu's friend. If left to his own devices, Suigetsu would chop the head from the shoulders of anyone who dared insult Naruto.

She was relieved that Suigetsu just gave her a glare and went back to his meal instead of grabbing his sword and going for the offending ninja. That was when another group of shinobi came by, but this time to congratulate them. Of course, their intention was to congratulate Naruto. He was, after all, Orochimaru's current favourite and every other person who realized they couldn't beat him wanted to be in his good book. Some of them looked like they wanted to kiss his shoes just to get the point across. Naruto's smile was considerably strained around these people, but stayed in place. He would diffuse the tension by pointing to them and saying, "It's the team, man. It's the team," sometimes with his mouth full.

Karin would usually reprimand him for being an embarrassment to the Uzumaki bloodline with the attitude of an older sister disciplining her younger brother. In truth, they weren't even cousins. Naruto didn't even look like an Uzumaki. But they bonded quickly over the fact that they were the only two known Uzumaki in Oto and they disliked Kabuto with a passion. Naruto liked to hear Karin telling him about their family history, about the legend involving the Uzumaki, because no one had told him anything when he was younger. Naruto called his time before he came to Oto "a long bad dream," but he never told them what actually happened. They got a glimpse here and there, but Saya thought now was the time to try to get the whole picture.

She invited all of them to her room for some refreshments after the meal. That was their code for the alcohol that she kept under the bed. Naruto didn't drink, but Suigetsu and Karin definitely did and Naruto usually didn't like being left behind. She had tried to make him drink once or twice just to get him to learn his body's reaction to alcohol, but he firmly declined. That didn't stop her from offering, though.

Like always, the blond just shook his head. "No, you know I don't drink," he said with an apologetic smile and reached for a relaxing blend of herbal tea instead.

Saya didn't bother him any further. She just set the bottle down on the table and said, "You never tell me why you don't."

Naruto shrugged. "I just don't want to do something stupid, that's all," he said.

"I never said you have to get drunk," Saya countered.

Naruto huffed. "Nah, you don't have to get smashed to do something really stupid under the influence, Saya." There was a hard glint in his eyes that told her the topic was over. The hard glint that she saw every time anything related to Konoha came up in their conversation, no matter how innocuous.

Typically, she would let it go, but she had too many questions that needed answers. "How about you tell us a little bit about your friend from Konoha, then?"

Naruto basically spat his tea.

"Yeah, tell me about Uchiha Sasuke," Karin piped in excitedly.

Naruto immediately made a face. "Why do you care?" he said. "He's just another shinobi."

"It's because Karin got the hots for him, Boss," Suigetsu said with a laugh. Karin's punch flew right to his head and a splash of water flew across the room.

Saya rubbed her temples. "Could you please stop teasing Karin," she said. It was good and all that Suigetsu couldn't really get hurt since he was able to liquefy himself, but the water went everywhere. "Anyway," Saya began, trying her best to take them back to the topic. "Naruto, he knows you, doesn't he?"

Naruto stared at his cup and then shrugged again. "We were on the same genin team, that's all," he said before taking another sip of the tea.

"Ehhh? Really?" Karin said. She could barely contain her excitement anymore. "Tell me what you know about Uchiha Sasuke. How old is he? What's his horoscope sign? What are his likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams?" she demanded. Saya just sighed. A glass, and Karin had already lost most of her self control.

Naruto glared at her for a moment, but Karin just watched him with an expectant look. After a few seconds he sighed and said, "I don't know his sign. He's my age. He doesn't like a lot of things and rarely likes anything. He doesn't have a hobby and his dream is to kill a certain someone." Then he took the sip of his tea. We he looked back, Karin was still watching him. "That is seriously it."

"But that's nothing at all!" she whined.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You tell the bastard that. That was what he said." He went back to his tea. Karin pouted but didn't push the topic further. She might be pushy when it came to a subject she was interested in, but she knew when to back down with Naruto. He had a surprising tolerance to nagging, but his patience definitely wasn't endless. And when it ran out it tended to be...dramatic.

Saya knew she had to handle this carefully or Naruto would just clamp up and not speak at all. "So you guys were pretty close then?" she asked casually as she poured some more moonshine into her cup. She couldn't help noticing that Naruto's shoulders seemed to stiffen.

"We weren't," he said after finishing his tea, "not the way _we_ are at least." And at that he smiled at her. It wasn't one of his shit-eating grins that he liked to put out when dealing with everyone else in Oto. It was softer, something more genuine, although Saya couldn't help but feel that Naruto was using that smile on purpose. She wasn't going to fall for it.

"I thought Konoha is big about teamwork, " she said offhandedly.

Naruto just snorted. "That's what they said," he replied. His shoulders were still stiff and his gestures dismissive. Saya sighed. So he still wasn't going to talk about it then.

"So that means you don't know whether he's going to come back again," she commented offhandedly.

Naruto eyed her and lifted his eyebrow.

Karin barged in loudly again at that point, "What! He'll be back?"

"If he's after Naruto, then yeah," Suigetsu chimed in as he poured himself another cup. He looked a little red now and a little too pleased with himself. He was even giving Naruto one of his salacious smirks. "I wonder why."

Naruto just glared briefly at him before turning back to Saya. "You think it's going to be dangerous from now on, don't you?" he asked.

Saya nodded. "If one Leaf shinobi was here, that means the Leaf knows where we are. The only reason they are not going for open attack is because they fear causing a war." She paused. "And they probably fear you."

"Yeah," Naruto said, his face unreadable, "that sounds about right."

/***/

Kabuto was quite surprised to be summoned to the his master's study late in the evening. As always, he knocked then pushed open the door without waiting for permission. Orochimaru was sitting on a chair at his desk, reading a scroll. The sannin usually worked late into the night on one thing or the other, although he seldom spoke to anyone during this time. It was a period of private contemplation. Just like a snake, his mind was most alert in the evening.

Kabuto assumed then that it must have been something about an experiment they were performing. But once the scroll came into sight, he froze. The handwriting on it was terrible but unmistakable. He could see many diagrams and drawings about chakra. They looked childish, and maybe that shouldn't have been a surprise. Naruto was thirteen when he'd written that scroll as a report to Orochimaru.

The whole thing started on the first day the boy arrived. The Sannin had recently transferred to a new body and his subordinates, as typical during the period of adjustment, had been unable to look at him without suffering some level of unease. Naruto had been the only person aside from Kabuto to look him in the eye. There wasn't a shred of fear in the child as the Master of Oto led them past his many test subjects in various stages of experimentation. Kabuto had thought the child didn't know who it was in front of him, and so told him about the transfer. Naruto asked for the reason. Kabuto told him about the curse the Sandaime Hokage put on Orochimaru's arms.

The child scowled at them both and asked, "Why do we need the hand signs to perform jutsu anyway?" Kabuto had snickered at first. Hand signs and chakra control were such fundamental topics that any question about them only confirmed the ignorance, or rather the low intelligence, of the inquirer. But then his gaze fell on Orochimaru. There was a look of intrigue on the sannin's face that told Kabuto something about that comment had struck. Kabuto didn't know what might have, not until three months later when Orochimaru first showed him this scroll with an amused smile on his lips. Kabuto had read it, found it surprisingly insightful, but couldn't see it as anything but an esoteric venture.

That was until Naruto broke three genjutsu in succession without so much as moving a finger.

Maybe he should have realized then that Naruto had an interest in experimentation. At that point, he just thought Saya was the driving force behind it all. She was the one who explained to them the limitation of the handless jutsu, namely the level of chakra control needed to perform one, which usually rivaled that of a medic nin. It was like trying to control the heart rate by willing it so. While meditation worked to some extent, it was much harder than using physical activities or medications. Kabuto was quite disappointed by the outlook, but it didn't seem to dampen Orochimaru's mood. If anything, he seemed joyous. He even patted the brat on the head as he congratulated him on the results.

Kabuto didn't see Naruto's other projects. He wished he was at least told about them. The knowledge that the fox brat had been doing experiments, something that was normally Kabuto's specialty, left him rather uneasy. He'd rather know this when it was going on than later when he had no idea how many disasters Naruto had created. But above all, he wanted to know how Naruto had spent time with Orochimaru. Kabuto had always assumed that the sannin met the boy out of obligation. But the fact that Orochimaru had this particular scroll out for the evening, a scroll that did not have any connection to any existing research, told him of the grip the boy had on the Master of Oto, and the matter at hand.

"Orochimaru-sama?" he said quietly, breaking the heavy silence in the room. "You have something you would like to discuss?"

The Snake Sannin placed the scroll still open on his lap and turned his attention to Kabuto. The reading light cast shadows on the lines of his face, giving the impression that he had been thinking long and hard in the privacy of his own mind. "Yes, I need to ask you something, Kabuto-kun," said the sannin. "How long would it take to completely wire Naruto's chakra pathways to the Kyuubi's?"

"Another year at least, if we do not want to risk releasing the Nine-tails unwittingly," Kabuto replied. He didn't like where this was going. He knew a year was a long time now that Leaf and Akatsuki were on the boy's trail. What's more, they hadn't tested the cursed seal control on Naruto yet. Who knew at this point what the combination with the Kyuubi's chakra might do.

Orochimaru was tapping his fingers slowly, dragging them almost soundlessly across the surface of the scroll as if lost in his own thoughts. He was thinking of options, and Kabuto knew there wasn't a lot out there that would work in less time than their original plan.

Finally, the sannin looked up. He asked, "And how long would it take to finish the current work?"

Kabuto swallowed. "A few months, Orochimaru-sama."

The Master of Oto nodded. He took one last look at the scroll on his lap then rolled it closed. The bundle of paper was placed on the desk with all the other scrolls, just one among many. "It is decided then," said sannin. "Complete your work as quickly as possible, Kabuto-kun. As close to my third anniversary as you can, and report back to me."

Kabuto nodded. He honestly did not like this outcome, but he knew as well as Orochimaru that there wasn't much choice. They had discussed the options before they started the cumbersome task of rewiring the pathways. But their time was up, and they had to fall back to their last option:

Orochimaru would take Naruto as his vessel.

/***/

End of Chapter 21

**A/N:**

** LeyCoo** Thank you so much! I do try to sow as many seeds as reasonable before reaping the end product at the big build, because otherwise I don't think it would make sense. So let me know if something doesn't, okay? :)

** Guest** You have Ashimodo to thank for that fight scene. He was kicking my ass about how sloppy it was before the rewrite. In terms of raw power I think both Naruto and Sasuke are about the same as the canon (maybe Naruto has a little more because of the Kyuubi). The techniques are definitely going to be different. I'm on the side of diversifying Sasuke's techniques, but, yes, he still has the lightning fetish. I have to warn you that I'll be taking a lot of liberty with Taka. There's not enough about them in the canon, so I'll have to make some up.

** ZyiareHellsing** I know right! Naruto's totally a fox. He had that tendency before the time skip and lost it afterwards, so everybody forgot about it. But he totally does.

** nekomode** I'm sorry to hear. I hope you're well by the time this chapter is up. I've been slow in editing the previous chapters, so you didn't miss much. Don't worry.

** Reign Of Sorrow Valana Corpj123** Thanks, guys!

** badslangbumerang** Here's ya load, ma man. I'll keep 'em flowing, if I can. (Accidental rhyming, yo!)

** Guest** Awwww, I'm glad I made you cry...That sounds so wrong, doesn't it?

** Alviniju** Gosh, I so, so love your speculation. How should I answer this? You will find out in the next chapter actually, so I don't think I should be saying anything aside from Kabuto's smart. So there's not much Orochimaru can from especially when Kabuto is also working with both him and Naruto.

** SupernaturalHearts** I've heard from somewhere that in Germany that Sasuke's ass-bow is referred to as ass-pretzel. That totally destroyed me. XD


	22. Chapter 22: Counting Bodies Like Sheep

**A/N:** Finally, Naruto's fate is revealed. (Drum roll.)

Warning for violence, gore, disturbing imageries, and liberal use of creative license.

Once again, this chapter is made a gazillion times better by Ashimodo. Thanks, mate!

**Chapter 22: Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums**

Sakura was actually surprised when Sasuke agreed to a lunch get-together, not only because Sasuke wasn't a social creature but also because of their disastrous mission in Sound. It was a few months back, but they hadn't really talked about it. Not that Sasuke was eager to talk anyway. Sakura had been too busy with her work at the hospital and training with Tsunade-shishou to have the energy to deal with him. Sakura was sure he was still pissed that she'd interrupted his attempt to beat the Sound Four to pulp and hunt Naruto through Otogakure. She'd been helping her teacher in the Hokage office enough times to know that an identified Leaf ninja barging through another hidden village was a no-no. She had to drag him tooth and nail away from the Vault as Kakashi-sensei negotiated so they could leave in peace and without consequences. That led to Sasuke being in a sour mood and not talking to them for the rest of their trip.

The moody Sasuke reminded Sakura of the old Sasuke she had a crush on, the broody, cooler-than-cool genius of Rookie Nine. Sakura at sixteen found him both exasperating and funny at the same time. Maybe it was because she knew him too well, because her romanticism had made way for the damaged little boy. Sakura still loved him to bits, but not in the way she thought she did a long time ago. She wanted him well and happy, if the latter was even possible right now.

The door chimed and Sakura saw Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru walking in. She got up and waved to her friend with a wide smile. Ino waved back before herding one lazy and one very distracted ninja to their table. "Sorry for the wait. This guy just got out of his chuunin exam meeting," Ino pointed at Shikamaru as she sat down opposite Sakura. The Nara boy was shoved into the seat opposite Sasuke. She then turned to the Uchiha with a wide smile. "Good to see that you could come, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke replied with a 'Hnn' before he sipped his tea. The waitress came by to get their order, diverting their attention. Ino and Chouji were taking turns ordering because, if left to either one of them, there would be too much vegetable or too much meat. Sakura was busy making orders herself because Sasuke decided to leave it up to her. Shikamaru seemed to have the same idea since he didn't even look at the menu. In fact, he looked very intensely at Sasuke.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked when the waitress was gone. Sakura didn't know if she should be grateful or alarmed. Sasuke definitely needed someone to talk to, but she wasn't entirely sure if Shikamaru's straightforward approach was a good idea.

Ino definitely thought it was a bad move. She whacked Shikamaru in the back of the head. "Oh, c'mon. Can we not talk shop right now?" Sakura was grateful that she didn't refer to the mission. Ino was up-to-date with everything that happened and was just as worried as Sakura.

"Oww. I'm just checking on a friend. What's wrong with that?" moaned Shikamaru as he nursed his head. He turned back to Sasuke. Ino's face flushed with slight embarrassment, but she was still glaring at Shikamaru. Shikamaru just let out a 'Tch' before turning back to Sasuke. "Anyway, I was asking. What's up with you? You don't look too good."

Sasuke gave him a look before diverting his gaze back to the tea cup in front of him. "I met Naruto," he said.

That was the first time in three years that Naruto's name ever came up in a group conversation, and for a moment the atmosphere was tense. She hadn't anticipated that Sasuke would be the one to bring him up. Sasuke had never discussed Naruto with her before. She'd never brought him up either. It felt too soon but simultaneously too long since Team Seven had talked about him. At first she had kept going over Naruto's departure with Ino, pondering everything she might have done wrong, examining every what-if she could think of. It took a while, but she'd realized that it was pointless, so she'd stopped. She thought she had moved on somewhat, but that name still conjured a dull ache in her heart that didn't seem to go away.

She was surprised by the next thing Shikamaru said. "How is he?" As if Naruto were just on a trip abroad somewhere and not a deserter.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment before he replied, "He's fine, I think." He paused. "I don't know. He didn't want to talk to me. Or even look at me."

Although Sasuke's tone didn't changed much, Sakura could feel the pain in the stiffness of his posture. She could understand why. If she were in his shoes, standing just meters away from her friend only to be dismissed, she would have reacted that way as well. Shikamaru seemed to sense this too. He let out a sigh and said, "Who would've thought that guy could hold grudges."

Again, Sakura was appalled by Shikamaru's choice of words and Ino looked quietly furious. Chouji just observed, looking back and forth between them. Sasuke, however, didn't openly react. His furrowed brows were the only sign that he was troubled.

Ino quickly moved in to lightened the mood. "Maybe it's because there are other people from Sound there, Sasuke-kun," she said in a way too cheerful tone. "That might be why he had to act like he didn't want to talk to you. You have to catch him by himself next time."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at her remark, then furrowed his brows and turned to Sakura. She wanted to whack Ino in the back of the head for saying that. Now Sasuke knew she had been talking about the mission with someone outside their team. But before she could say anything, their orders arrived, and Chouji, Ino, and Sakura began grilling immediately. At least it was something to keep them away from thinking about such a heavy topic.

"You know what, Ino might be nosey but she's right," said Shikamaru to Sasuke over the grill. "Sound and Leaf might not be at war, but we are enemies. So in front of anybody from Sound, he can't acknowledge you as anything other than that."

Sasuke looked up at Shikamaru. The scowl on his face lessened but he still seemed unsure. Then they heard a crack from the tea cup in front of Sasuke. As he picked it up, she could see the long crack down the side like someone had stuck it with force.

Shikamaru eyed the cup and scowled, "What the hell?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but she could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

/***/

The session was scheduled just a week after the third anniversary of his transference, enough time to have Kabuto tying up all the loose ends and unfinished work on Naruto's chakra pathways. They had been working for years to wire the pathways connecting Naruto and the Nine-tails around the seal to allow access to the Kyuubi's chakra without actually freeing the beast or its will. The Nine-tails was notorious among the tailed beasts for its consuming hatred towards humanity, and Orochimaru did not want to risk being in close proximity to the monster without some insurance.

The fact that Naruto had been uninfluenced by the beast thus far assured him that all had gone well. The blond walking through the door was still pretty much the same boy from the first session, down to the confused expression as he looked around and realized that no one else was in the room and no equipment had been laid out for him.

"I thought we had a session today," said Naruto-kun, looking a little lost as he walked forward to where the Master of Oto was sitting. "Where's Kabuto-san?"

Orochimaru smiled and said, "He'll be here." Kabuto would have liked to be in the room, but Orochimaru liked to do his transference in private. He knew, though, that somewhere a video camera was recording everything. Naruto furrowed his brows and Orochimaru gestured for him to sit down beside him on the small couch. The boy complied without much fuss. He would do anything Orochimaru wanted, that much he was certain.

"Is this one dangerous?" Naruto asked. In his bright blue eyes was concern, fear even, and Orochimaru wrapped his arm around the blond's shoulders, ushering him close. Again, Naruto complied. He rested his head on Orochimaru's shoulder and sighed. "It is, isn't it?" he said.

"Why do you think so?" asked the Snake Sannin.

"Because you don't like people touching you," said Naruto as his body relaxed and his arm draped across Orochimaru's stomach, "unless something terrible is going on and you know they need the comfort, like when I have nightmares and come to you."

In truth he would have liked to send the boy away on those occasions, like he did Kimimaro when he first saved him, but Naruto wasn't like Kimimaro. While the distance and coldness fostered Kimimaro's love, respect, and worship of him, Naruto needed something else. He needed attention and touches. That was why Orochimaru allowed the boy into his bed when he came to his room shaken by one nightmare or the other. That was why he allowed Naruto to drape himself over him, using his rather cold body as a source of warmth, when Naruto was in fact the warmest thing Orochimaru had ever touched.

"Yes, this one is rather dangerous," he said, "but with Akatsuki and Leaf targeting you, it cannot be helped."

There was silence before Naruto said, "Alright," but in his voice was reluctance. Orochimaru turned to him and lifted his chin upward so their eyes met.

"It will not hurt if you don't resist me," Orochimaru said. Naruto stared at him, searching his face for assurance like he always did. He seemed to find it in Orochimaru's unyielding gaze since he nodded. Orochimaru gripped the boy's chin a little firmer before pouring himself into the cerulean pools of unfathomable depth.

The first thing he felt was confusion and fear. The bluish hue of the mind dimmed slightly as if recoiling from him, but Orochimaru held firm. He caressed that brightness as his chakra slowly engulfed Naruto's mind. For the first time, Orochimaru felt the pang of regret as he felt Naruto's awareness suppressed. The boy didn't fight him even as he knew what was to come, much to Orochimaru's surprise. Every other mind had resisted him at one point or the other, hanging on to what was theirs. Naruto simply gave himself up to Orochimaru, open and vulnerable like a newborn, and Orochimaru couldn't help but feel... something. He didn't know what. It was so long since he'd had any kind of feeling like this that it was incomprehensible to him.

He didn't waste time on the sentiment and plunged into the blue depth, passing into the darkness of the boy's subconscious mind. He reached the deepest part of Naruto's consciousness before he was suddenly and forcefully stopped. He looked around and found a hallway full of intersections and doors to many rooms. The walls were untouched by his consciousness. He walked forward and found that nothing really stopped him, but he could not leave marks on the wall either. Painfully curious, he walked on. The moment he thought of stopping, a time he felt something wasn't right, he felt an urge to move forward, so he continued deeper and deeper into the maze.

He didn't know exactly which turn he took when suddenly a giant red cage was in front of him. The darkness within did not conceal the occupant inside.

"So, you have come," said the low rumbling voice, emerging as if from the bowels of hell. "Orochimaru."

The way his name was spoken sent chills up and down his spine. This creature exuded so much power that Orochimaru trembled in excitement. "I believe we have not met," he said. "It is an honour that you recognize me."

"We recognize everyone whom the child has met," said the voice. Orochimaru still could not see very far into the cage. Strange that his mind's eyes needed to adjust to the dark. "You are the perverted sannin he trains with."

"You must have mistaken me for Jiraiya," Orochimaru said, not bothering to hide the disgust.

There came a laugh, high and eerie. "No," the voice growled, "You are the perverted one, not that Jiraiya. _You_, a little weakling of a being, thinking he could control the power that came with this world. You desire immortality, and so you desecrate soul upon soul, stealing things that are not yours to possess. Jiraiya's lust has been in line with nature. _You_, on the other hand, do not know your place in this world, Orochimaru."

The darkness seemed to pull back a little, and Orochimaru could see the face of the fox as it lay on its belly, its head raised. It was vast. Its power was greater than anything Orochimaru had ever felt, and he knew the only reason he wasn't crushed to the ground was due to the seal preventing the fox from escaping its confinement.

At that moment he knew he was facing a creature like nothing he had seen before. It was like standing in front of a god - all-mighty, wise, and cruel. Orochimaru didn't know that his mouth could become dry in his own mind, but it did. At that moment, he was overwhelmed with want. He wanted that power, that wisdom, that immortality. He wanted everything.

The corner of his mouth twitched when he realized that, yes, this creature was his. "I am sorry to hear that your impression of me is not favorable, Kyuubi-sama. However, since Naruto-kun's body is now mine, we are stuck together from here on, whether you like it or not," he said as he approached the cage. "Your power is mine now."

At this the fox laughed again. The high, eerie howl pierced his ears like a needle. "You think strengthening the pathways between Ourselves and the host results in a simple one-way control?" it grinned. Rows of sharp teeth lined the gaping mouth.

Then he heard a voice from inside the cage, a voice too familiar yet so different it made him look down to the fox's front paws immediately. And there sat Naruto with a grin on his face. "See, Orochimaru-sama, there are things that you don't quite understand here," he said as he straightened up from lounging. "First, there is no seal or jutsu in the world that can give you full control of Kurama's chakra because, quite frankly, it's not like anything you have ever seen or could be prepared for. My father's seal allows me to borrow a part of it, but I cannot force Kurama to give me what he doesn't want to. You and Kabuto have been wasting your time."

At this Naruto stood up and walked towards him. As soon as he stepped beyond the railing, Orochimaru could see red tendrils coming with him, engulfing him like they were holding and protecting him.

"The good thing is you have opened up a lot of pathways between me and Kurama, so he can be closer to the surface. He has been really bored here, you know. This place is really dark and dingy," the blond said as he walked closer. The closer he got, the more wrong his face looked, like some sick reflection of the real one. He looked like Naruto. He walked like Naruto. But something about him screamed at Orochimaru that this was not Naruto. "What's the matter?" the boy asked, tilting his head to the side. "You don't look well, Orochimaru-sama."

The sannin didn't reply. He was certain now that whatever was standing before him was not Naruto. This was a doll imitating the boy. He wondered if the Kyuubi had created this. Exactly how much of this inner world could it manipulate? He felt an unpleasant stir in his stomach as he sensed his control of the situation slipping. He needed to retreat and find a new plan of attack. The sannin quickly turned and left the chamber, following the tendril of his own chakra back to his body.

Except, after several turns, he found himself right back at the chamber. In front of him was the same red cage, the same monster, the same child.

The boy smiled, but the expression seemed twisted - the mouth too wide, filled with too many teeth, and the eyes glassy and unfocused, unmoving. Dead. "Back so soon? I thought you were leaving."

The sannin clenched his fist. He knew this inner world would be subjected to the command of the owner, but it was impossible to trap an external chakra inside. He should not have been led back here. His gaze shifted to the monster behind the cage. The Nine-tails looked back at him. It simply grinned. And the sannin felt his stomach drop.

"Oops, I guess you noticed," said the doll, smiling even wider. Impossibly wider. "Of course, this chamber's very purpose is to keep demons _inside_. Demons like you."

The Snake Sannin did his best not to react, yet could not stop himself from stepping back as the doll stepped forward. As clever as this might be, he knew he wasn't trapped. He was not the Nine-tails. There was no seal to keep him inside. He simply had to find a way to leave.

"You don't know how to give up, do you?" said the puppet. His face began to sag like candlewax, dripping until it stilled into an expression of sadness. But it was not true sadness. It was a mockery, exaggerated and contorted, flesh twisted into mask. Or was it mask twisted into flesh? "Then again, that's what's admirable about you, Orochimaru-sama. You never...ever...stop." The face wrenched with a sickening shock into another grin, thin lipped and pointed and far too wide. But the eyes were no longer dead.

In a blink of an eye the doll was there, twisted face inches from his. The sannin barely had a chance to dodge the brunt of the attack. He tried to mold his chakra immediately. But he didn't have time before the figure twisted around and came at him again. The movement was not that of a trained ninja, not even a human, but like a rabid animal attacking anything in sight. It gave him gooseflesh to watch that body, the body of a child he knew, move like it was something not truly of this world.

Orochimaru didn't have time to contemplate the creature. He needed to think of how to escape. And he could not do so under constant assault. So the sannin countered with the only weapon he could - taijutsu. Four strikes splintered the thing's arms and legs in quick succession, and he delivered a killing blow to the chest, shattering whatever was inside. The figure fell in a lump of tortured limbs. All was silence then. The only thing that moved was the ripple on the water's surface from the doll's fallen body.

The sannin took that chance to mold his chakra. This time he could feel it responding to his command through the water. He felt the ominous power retreating away from him as he channel more and more. The water burst into wave after wave and the darkness began to draw back. He turned to the Kyuubi then, but found nothing aside from a watchful gaze, unblinking and unimpressed.

Then his eyes caught sight of something high above his head, unveiled as the sphere of light grew even larger. His stomach dropped. They were dolls, hundreds of them, hanging from the unseen ceiling with strings and bandages wrapped around them. Even so, there was no mistaking the blond hair or the blue, lifeless eyes.

"You are so cruel, Orochimaru-sama," a voice said. The sannin turned and found the doll he had broken rising up from the floor. That hideous grin was still in place. "That really hurts, you know."

"You attacked first," Orochimaru replied.

The doll tilted his head. "Ahh, but that's not true. _You_ attacked first."

Leaving him no time to reply, the boy charged at him again. Even with shattered limbs, it was unnaturally quick. The movement was nothing like an animal, but flesh and bones stitched together, advancing by any means it could - shuffling, dragging, flinging itself forward in ugly leaps. The sannin quickly jumped out of the way and landed on the doll's back. He wrapped his arm firmly around the neck, like a python crushing its prey, and jerked backward sharply.

The sound of the neck wrenching and cracking seemed unnaturally loud, echoing on the chamber walls. For a moment, Orochimaru simply remained there, on top of the limp body, with his arm still around the neck and the boy's head against his chest. Those eyes didn't move anymore, and the smile was gone. He looked like Naruto then. On that face was the expression of serenity that reminded Orochimaru of the times when Naruto opened himself up to him, letting him see the boy's most vulnerable parts and deepest emotions. The boy would look like this in the short moment of contemplation before he spoke, lost in his own thoughts.

But this was not the expression of contemplation. This was the face of death.

Until the eyes moved to meet his.

The sannin sprang back, landing on the floor only to find his feet falling deep into the water. As he gathered his chakra to stand, his eyes suddenly fell on figures beneath the surface. There was no floor there, just the fathomless depths and a countless number of dolls, strung like puppets, floating listlessly. All with blond hair and blue eyes.

Suddenly, all those lifeless eyes turned to him in one synchronous movement.

Orochimaru lept back, too startled to compose himself. But when he turned his gaze upward, he found that all the dolls on the ceiling were also watching him.

Then he felt a hand on his feet and the next thing he knew, he was pulled knee-deep into the water. Hands were coming up, grabbing onto him. Those emotionless faces crept close as they pulled him down with them. The sannin molded his chakra, blowing those hands and those bodies as far away as he could, before he transformed into a serpent. In that body, he surged out of the water, intent on finding his way out. His snake form allowed him to slip past the dolls coming down from the ceiling as he searched for an exit.

But with each slip, more of his scales were falling, being pulled away by the dolls. Agitated, he tried harder to find the gap in the chamber, but the faster he moved, the easier the scales were removed, and before long the dolls seized him. Their restraints, once dangling them above the ground, now knotted up with the Snake as he writhed and hissed, dangling off the ground like a marionette tangled in its own strings.

It was then that a doll crawled up from the water. Unlike all the others, this one had long, light-colored hair coming down over its face. Orochimaru noticed the Leaf uniform and the headband. The water dripping off it was tinted red, coloring the hair and skin. Then the head jerked up. Its ugly face became visible. It was swollen and purpled like a bloated corpse. "Remember me, Orochimaru-sama?" the figure said, "You promised to take me in if I could get you a forbidden scroll from the Hokage. Do you still remember, even though I didn't make it?"

It took him a moment, but slowly he remembered the mission. But at that point he had no interest in reminiscing a past miscalculation. He threw himself to the side, trying to untangle himself from the ropes, when he spotted another doll. This time it was a familiar figure. "As your teacher, I must say I'm disappointed in you," said the imitator of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Annoyance flared in Orochimaru as the doll of his teacher came closer. "You could have accomplished so much, but you chose to live your life like a maggot, using up body after body-"

"Shut away your judgement!" Orochimaru hissed back. He did not have time for this, least of all listening to an image of his teacher spouting nonsense.

Then he felt a weight on top of his body. The sannin looked up and found a boy no older than thirteen standing towards his tail. The boy's entire body was covered in blood and bruises, but Orochimaru could still see the blond hair, the orange jacket, and the pair of bright blue eyes.

"Now," said the boy. The sound of metal moving against metal echoed in the chamber as he pulled out a kunai and walked steadily along the length of Orochimaru's body. That pair of beautiful blue sapphires turned red, wide, and filled with hatred. "This is where you start begging."

/***/

It took a while but the scream finally died down. Naruto had wondered a million times what Orochimaru's dying scream would be like. He didn't expect it to sound like a pig being slaughtered.

He had also wondered a million times what it would be like to watch Orochimaru die. When it came down to it, he didn't feel like watching. He just curled up against Kurama's chest as the fox looked on with obvious delight.

"Is it done yet?" he asked, wanting badly to get out of his own head at that moment.

"Patience, kit. All that remains shall soon be devoured. Vile as its soul was, the chakra is delectable," Kurama mused, laughing softly. "A fitting end to so aberrant a creature."

Naruto quite frankly couldn't care less.

Kurama noticed this. He looked down and lowered his head until his nose was next to Naruto. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Naruto scratched the fox's chin as he said, "I think I overdid the dark-me a bit."

"Kit!" exclaimed Kurama, as if personally insulted. "'Twas brilliant! Did you not witness the serpent's visage? It was of pure terror. You have brought horror and destruction upon the one responsible for the death of the people you loved. Does that not please you?"

Naruto thought about it, but no, he couldn't feel anything. He knew he should be delighted by Orochimaru's demise, but he felt tired. He had hated Orochimaru for so long, hated him through laughter and smiles and affectionate gestures. He had hated so much that when the man died, he felt empty.

"I'm drained, " he said. "Having him here wore me out."

Kurama looked at him and sighed. "You're such a brat," he said, but arranged his chakra to engulf Naruto, lifting him up from the cold floor. "Sleep, kit."

Naruto did.

/***/

When Orochimaru went into a seizure, Kabuto knew immediately that something had gone wrong. The surge of chakra that came next signalled that something was truly, horribly wrong. It was never like this when Orochimaru transferred. He quickly ran out of the control room down to the lab only to find the Scums standing in front of the door, blocking his entry.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked. They didn't answer. Saya simply diverted her eyes to Karin, who was closing hers in full concentration.

"It's not over yet," Karin said. She was sweating all over and her body shaking.

"You hear her. You can't go in yet," said Suigetsu with a grin.

"Scums like you can't stop me if I want to," Kabuto retorted. He wasn't a fighter by nature, but he knew he could take them down if he needed to. Suigetsu was easy to rile up and bound to make mistake. Karin wasn't a fighter herself. Saya, however, was another story. He stole a glance and found her watching him with lidless eyes. She didn't move, not even the muscles on her face, and the sense of unease inside Kabuto grew.

Suigetsu, however, didn't like the stand off. He quickly grabbed his large sword and swung it forward. "Come on, then. I'll play with you until Naruto is done," he said. The mention of Naruto made Kabuto clench his hands. So Naruto had some kind of plan. Did he know Orochimaru was going to take his body?

As if reading his mind, Saya said, "It was not difficult to figure out Orochimaru's intention, given the timing, the circumstance, and what Karin had observed during your sessions." Kabuto's eyes ticked. So the redhead was a spy all along. "In his defence, Naruto hadn't thought of killing Orochimaru so soon. He would have happily played test subject for a few more years until his skills were fully matured."

Kabuto snorted. "No one kills Orochimaru-sama. He's immortal," he stated. It was a fact, after all.

But Saya just smiled at him like he was an endearing, slow child. "Not when you destroy his soul, no."

Suddenly Karin's eyes snapped open with a gasp. She quickly stepped to the side as the door swung open. Standing there was Naruto, his eyes bright red and canines turned to fangs, his nails stretched into claws. He held Orochimaru's hair in one of his hands as he dragged the limp body out of the room.

"Naruto?" Saya said with slight concern. He looked at her sharply. She started and glanced at Karin, who looked just as pale.

No, it wasn't Naruto that walked out of the room. That much was obvious. There wasn't a trace of his voice as he spoke. "It is done," growled the beast in the blond's body. "The boy is resting while I purge the Snake's chakra." The two kunoichi nodded obediently. Even Suigetsu, who was usually cocky, was silent for once. Kabuto, on the other hand, was staring at Orochimaru's body. It was dead for certain, meaning he had left the vessel. The only other human being in the room at the time was Naruto, and Orochimaru had definitely invaded his mind.

One look from the red eyes wiped away any hope in Kabuto that Orochimaru was still in there somewhere. Orochimaru, as strong as he was, was nothing against the raw power inside Naruto's body. As he watched, he could see the cursed seal disappearing from the blond's skin. Orochimaru really had lost, and Kabuto had to make a tough decision.

"Congratulation, Kyuubi-sama," he said as he went on his knees and bowed low. He only hoped at that point that his voice wasn't shaking. The Scums looked at him in surprise. "As you have won over Orochimaru, you are now the Master of Otogakure. I am, thereby, your servant from now on."

Kabuto was surprised when the beast laughed its shrill laugh, like it had never heard something so amusing before. "My, my, Kabuto, so quick to bend your knee," the beast said with an eerie smile on its face. "Who would want such a petty title as that of your master?"

Kabuto could actually name a few, but he knew better than to argue with the tailed beast.

"This place can rot as far as We are concerned," said the Kyuubi as it turned its back to Kabuto, dragging Orochimaru's body behind like a rag doll. "Prepare yourselves," he told the Scums, "We depart before the next sunrise."

The Scums replied with affirmatives as they followed their master through the tunnel and away from Kabuto. In that split of a second there were many things going on in Kabuto's mind. First was that Orochimaru, the pillar of Oto, was truly gone. Second was that Naruto, who had over the years risen to be the closest thing to Orochimaru's successor, was also leaving. Third was that without Orochimaru's absolute control or Naruto's influence, Oto would disintegrated into complete chaos in a matter of days, if not hours. The monsters Oto had created both literally and figuratively would be let loose on the world without anyone to control them; most would fight and die within the tunnels, but not before they destroyed everything Orochimaru had built, everything Kabuto had built.

That was why Naruto didn't need to do anything to him or to the rest of Oto. They had already lost.

/***/

They left Oto when night fell. Their belongings were packed in the little bags on their backs. By that time, Naruto's consciousness had returned, and the entirety of Oto already knew that Orochimaru was dead.

Most of Oto came to see them, more out of curiosity than any real sentiment. They didn't believe Orochimaru could be killed. They thought he must have taken another body, but after hours of no one claiming to be Orochimaru and Naruto marching his master's body down the hall, they believed the story. Naruto had killed Orochimaru, the immortal ninja, and gotten away unscratched.

No one held it against them for killing the Master of Oto, aside from a handful of people that fell on their heads when they were born and thought Orochimaru was the best thing the world had to offer. These people insulted and assaulted them, but Naruto's killing intent was enough to shut them up and send them running before any real fight started. Most people were just lost. Orochimaru had provided them with some purpose or dream. Now that he was gone, their future was gone with him.

Some of them wanted Naruto to be the next Master of Oto. After all, he had proven that he was stronger than the legendary sannin himself. They tried to argue that Sound would fall if Naruto didn't stay. Naruto just told them to figure things out for themselves for once before continuing his walk down the hall.

Saya knew that they were right. Sound would fall as soon as Naruto set foot out of its territory. There were too many people wanting power, too many with great power, and no way to really resolve the conflict of ambition without them killing each other off. Weaker ninja would flee. Stronger ninja would die. In any case, nothing would be left of Orochimaru's legacy.

Saya wondered if Naruto had planned that much or if he was just going with his gut again.

Before they left Oto's territory, Naruto requested that he stop at the river bend he frequented. They didn't object. Naruto dragged Orochimaru's body there with the rest of the Scums following behind. Saya knew Naruto came to this place to reflect on things. It was his private space. That was why he didn't like other people there with him. So she and the rest kept watch as Naruto rested Orochimaru's body on the flat rock next to his little flower garden and took off his top. He pulled out a knife from the pouch on his hip and began hacking away at the body.

It took an hour before Naruto could retrieve Orochimaru's sword, the Kusanagi. By then, half the body was destroyed and the blood flooded the little flower garden until some of the leaves were painted red. Naruto took the sword and his blood-soaked self into the river, dipping low until he and the blade were submerged. For a moment Saya thought he would not come up again, but Naruto emerged. His body was cleansed and the sword glistered in the little moonlight that came through the canopy.

He walked up the bank and sat down by the flower garden, the sword sheathed and resting across his lap. "You wouldn't believe what I did today," whispered Naruto to the little flowers swaying in the light breeze. "I finally did it. I killed Orochimaru." He turned to the flowers, his gaze set on the little white nubs of the Lily of the Valley. "I wish he could be in pain a little longer, considering everything he did." He paused. "What would you say if you knew I did it?"

The little Lily of the Valley just swayed slightly. There was, of course, no reply.

"Will you miss me when I'm gone?" he asked. "I know you're not really here, and dead people don't miss people, but, you know, I like to think you might miss me a little. Coz, I can't come back anymore. And I will miss you." He looked up like he was watching the moon, although it could barely be seen. "Gods, I've missed you."

It was at a time like this that Saya was reminded that despite his power, despite his skills, despite his age, Naruto was nothing more than a broken little boy put back together by the will to survive. He was so full of all things wrong with the world that he fit right in it. In a way, he was no different from Orochimaru himself. Saya had never known what her master had lost. She never fully understood the depth of his darkness, but she didn't need to. She knew that his humanity was lost long before they had ever met, that he was constantly chasing something, moving somewhere, always running from the shadow that forever haunted him. The Orochimaru she knew was not a man to begin with. His killing felt less like a killing and more the exorcism of a demon that had haunted this world for too long.

But as she watched Naruto sitting alone on the bank next to her master's body, she wondered if the demon was truly gone at all.

/***/

End of Chapter 22

**A/N:**

** SupernaturalHearts **It would be no fun if we know what Naruto thinks now, would it? :P

** Quinn1989** I like the idea of Naruto being Hokage in the canon because he is very in tuned with other people's pain. Being a jinchuuriki probably fosters that instinct. He is also willing to work with existing system to make it better. But I don't actually think Naruto's temperament suits the job very well. Being the boss means you do have to be a dick from time to time, because you can't, no matter how hard you try, address all the needs and wants of your people. I think that's going to kill Naruto inside, because he feels too deeply for other people's suffering. I also don't think he'll react well with the fact that a lot of the time the leader's hands are tied. There are times when you seriously can only choose between shitty things and shittier things, because no one was working with you for any other options (e.g., the Uchiha rebellion, if we can call it that). Power is a reverse pyramid actually; the higher you go, the more people you have to answer to, the less you can actually do to effect the change you want.

** nekomode** I'm glad you like the OCs. They better be good because I'm trying to start an original story, and I should be able to create characters from scratch by now. Or so I hope. I don't know if you think Minato would have a blast after this chapter, because, man, Kurama is _not_ necessarily a good influence. Or if Naruto is necessarily changing Sound for the better. He still has that effect on people, but who knows now how the boy is going to use it. And, yep, karma is a bitch. No question about that.

"Pedo Orochimaru is pedo. Nuff' said." Not Naruto being Oji-con? /*Run away really fast*/

I'm sorry you have been sick for so long. I hope you've seen a doctor. That sounds way too persistent. And your English's fine. I'm even worse when I type something at midnight. (That's also the time when the crazier ideas come out, though.) I totally get what you mean. Switching fandom does kill the plot bunnies. I have a litter of them from various fandoms I've never touched, because it's too daunting. (Like a mutated, radioactive, crossover bunny of Star Trek reboot and Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm _not_ touching that with a ten-foot pole. _Are you kidding me!) _Having an idea is relatively easy, getting it done is hard, ne?

** sommerangel2014** You and your friend are absolutely right. Although, Sasuke doesn't realize that yet. Don't tell him. Shhh.

** ac** Thanks. There will be more OCs, so I hope you won't be tired of them. :)

** wierdsquirrelgirl** Now you see the end of it. How is it for you?

** ZyiareHellsing** For a moment I have an image in my head of an actual jelly Kabuto wiggling. It's hilarious.

** csmith** Since somebody have already asked this, I'm going to copy my answer and put it here:

"In the first chapter, I don't think Naruto have much access to Kyuubi's chakra yet, so he's not going to be good to go in a day. I don't really know how fast a hand broken from repeated punching would heal, so I based the estimate on a minor soft-tissue injury I got on my wrist 3-4 years ago which took a month to control the pain and over a year with some rehabilitation for it to stop recurring. (And it still can. An injury like this stays with you. There's no complete healing.) My guess is Naruto's injury, which is way worse than mine, is going to take at least a few months to heal for a normal person and a few weeks at his accelerated rate."

** Corpj123** So, how do you like this? It's not really what Sasuke pulls in the canon, but I guess it's the same principle.


	23. Chapter 23: Mirage

**A/N:** Hence a new chapter begins, and we head back to Sasuke and Konoha.

Nothing to warn presently. And again, this chapter is brought to you with the help of Ashimodo.

**Chapter 23: Mirage**

The Chuunin Exam was over and Kakashi was glad. Not only were foreign ninja no longer crawling the village, Uchiha Sasuke was also made chuunin.

Anybody who had watched the exam would know that Sasuke's ability was more than enough to pass, it was just his social skills that were left wanting. After three years of travelling with Jiraiya, Kakashi had expected him to be better at that sort of thing, but Sasuke was still too single-minded to care about social conventions. He was assigned to a team of leftover genin for the exam, and proceeded to smash their already fragile self-esteem to bits for the sake of efficiency. He might have gathered more fangirls in the process, but for a lot of the genin he was just an insufferable show-off, not that Sasuke paid any attention to either camp. If someone was to confront him about his attitude, they would get snapped right back that they were worrying about unnecessary things and should focus on the task at hand. True as that might be, the dynamic of his team suffered greatly from the rift. Even Sakura who, as one of the examiners, shook her head and threw her hands in the air at all the drama around her friend.

Personally Kakashi would have kept Sasuke a genin until his attitude improved if it weren't so obvious that the exam wasn't a challenge to him anymore. Forcing him to try again didn't make sense when he didn't even have to try in the first place. He was quite sure Sasuke could go in solo and come out on top. The big problem was that a chuunin's success was based a lot on teamwork and trust. With his kind of social skills, Sasuke was never going to make it.

He had brought his little concern to the Hokage's attention. She sighed. "I have to agree with you," she said. "He has such a single-track mind that he tends to forget other people, unless they are a part of the agenda."

Kakashi nodded. They had seen that in the second stage of the exam. Sasuke had kept his teammates safe when all three of them had to pass, but as soon as they reached the third stage, he promptly distanced himself from them. Those two never passed the prelim. "That is why I am asking to be assigned as his mission commander until further notice," he said.

Tsunade lifted her eyebrows and said, "_You_ think you can handle him, Kakashi?"

He just smiled and thanked the mask for concealing how awkward he felt. His track record with keeping Sasuke in line had been spotty at best. He didn't blame her for being skeptical. "He tends to listen to people who he already knows, Hokage-sama. Assigning a complete stranger to him would be a disaster."

"Agreed," she said. "But there's a jounin candidate he knows well and is on talking terms with. Granted he was just nominated."

Kakashi instantly knew who it was and instantly pitied the man. "You mean Nara Shikamaru?" he said.

The Hokage nodded. "There is a mission that just came in today that I'd like your team and Shikamaru's team to look into. I'd need all the observation about Sasuke's interaction with others before deciding how best to assign him missions. The rest of the people on this mission should be here shortly."

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. "May I ask what this mission is about?" he said.

Tsunade looked at him with a somber expression as she replied, "Akatsuki is targeting Suna."

/***/

Sakura knew about the mission long before she even went into the room. She was, in fact, the first person on the list of who to send. Shizune-san had made the point of keeping her in the loop on anything that happened in Suna, and especially anything that involved Gaara. The Kazekage had been a personal ally of Sakura, and she wasn't going to let him get into trouble without her around.

Their friendship started with a strange turn of events that took place in the hospital after Naruto left Konoha. After leaving Sasuke's room, Sakura had wandered through the corridors to find a quiet place to cry alone, being too depressed to go home or meet anyone in that moment. It was only midway through some ugly sobbing that she noticed Gaara there in the same corridor looking at her in abject horror.

She didn't know why he was there, and at that point she didn't care. She couldn't stop crying and was too embarrassed to leave, so she continued to cry, banking on the fact that _he_ would be the one uncomfortable enough to leave. She hadn't thought he would come up to her and ask, "What's wrong?"

It was a simple phrase that should come naturally to anyone, but Gaara managed to make it sound awkward. Sakura didn't know what had gotten into her, but she told him about Sasuke's condition, Naruto's departure, and the fact that she would never have her little family back the same way again. On hindsight, a lot of what she said was probably borderline state secret, but she was thirteen and a lot stupider then. Gaara had listened, his face grim. He said, "Naruto would have been glad to hear this."

She didn't understand.

"The fact that you cry for him means that he is important to you, correct?" he said. She nodded. "Naruto told me that what he wanted was for someone to acknowledge him. To become important to someone would have been a great joy to him."

At that Sakura couldn't hold back another train of sobs, remembering what Sasuke said about Naruto's pain. "It was my fault," she said. No matter what others said, she still felt it was her fault that she couldn't make him stay.

"The fault is also mine," Gaara said; "If I had been here sooner-"

"-but you couldn't have known he was going to leave-"

"-I might be able to make him see that he wasn't alone." He paused. "I am, after all, a monster like him."

She stopped sobbing then. She was too confused by his demeanor, unable to really reconcile the person in front of her with the one that had tried to kill Sasuke. Gaara proceeded to tell her his own state secret that. Like Naruto, he had a monster sealed inside his body, and all who knew of it feared and abhorred his existence. Sakura had listened. She had cried again briefly, but this time for Gaara. She could begin to see why she hadn't been enough for Naruto to stay. Someone who had a happy childhood and a loving family like her would not be able to share his pain.

But that didn't mean she was going to be defeated. Not being able to share the experience didn't mean she would turn a blind eye on him, or on Gaara for that matter. In retrospect, her being friends with the Sand Jinchuuriki was motivated by self-interest. She was not going to lie that it was the guilt of hurting Naruto that propelled her to Gaara. But on the other hand, she made his life in Konoha marginally better. Her peers who weren't quite ready to accept him became a little more open once they saw that he and Sakura could get along. Even Temari and Kankurou were surprised by this. Lee, who had always been very gracious to people around him, also made sure Gaara was accepted in their fold. If Tsunade-shishou's relief was anything to go by, Sakura thought she did well.

That was also probably why she and Lee were the two chosen to attend Gaara's inaugural ceremony as representatives of the Leaf. It was also then that she got to witness how fragile Gaara's power in the Sand was, and how much work he still had to do in order to be fully accepted even after he got the title of Kazekage.

She was surprised when she reached the Hokage's office and found that it wasn't Lee's team joining hers, but Shikamaru's. She gave her teacher a questioning look, but Tsunade waved it off. She had to wait until after the briefing and the rest of the team left, aside from Kakashi-sensei and herself, to get the clarification she wanted. The mission was going to be a test for Sasuke. She was to report back about how he interacted with his teammates and commander. Sakura sympathized a little with her teacher on this. Sasuke was really lacking in the teamwork department. She'd seen that herself during the Chuunin Exam.

She was preparing to leave when an ANBU came in. His hastiness surprised her since they took care to never show themselves to the Hokage's visitors. The man spared only a look at her and Kakashi before he turned to Tsunade and said, "Orochimaru is dead, Hokage-sama."

She was quite sure that it wasn't intended for her ears, but since she was the Hokage's student, no one saw the need to kick her out. There was a brief pause before the Hokage began asking questions and ordering further investigation. She made a mention of Naruto, telling them to find out what happened to him. For the first time Sakura regretted having to go to Suna. What if they were going to retrieve Naruto? She wanted to be on _that_ mission.

Her mouth was beginning to open when Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder and startled her from her thoughts. Only one look and she could see that he knew what she was thinking. He didn't disapprove precisely, going by the sympathy in his eye, but they were assigned an important mission. They could not drop it for something that, for the moment, was nothing more than a rumour.

So Sakura nodded. Tsunade was so engrossed in her conversation with the ANBU that interrupting her now would be disastrous anyway. They both quietly took their leave, and Sakura consoled herself with the fact that at the very least Naruto was now free.

/***/

It had been three years since Sasuke last saw Gaara and honestly he wasn't looking forward to the meeting. He didn't know the Kazekage personally. The most interaction he got with the sand ninja was exchanging blows during and after the Chuunin Exam, and Sasuke suspected the boy was under Shukaku's influence most of that time. The only time he ever heard Gaara speak as himself was after Naruto left. Sasuke had been hospitalized and just woke up to a slew of visits from his teachers and friends. He just got his alone time when Gaara barged in looking like murder and proceeded to give Sasuke a piece of his mind about what happened between him and Naruto. Sasuke just told him to mind his own business, but Gaara countered him by pointing at the scar on his forehead. He told Sasuke how he put it there himself as a reminder. A reminder that no one could love him because he was a monster, and how that had driven him to near madness.

That was why Sasuke always_,_ _always_, avoided Gaara. He couldn't look at the sand ninja and not be reminded of the pain in his chest when he realized that, again, he had underestimated Naruto's pain, and how tiny and insignificant he was compared to that pain. He made Sasuke doubt whether he could ever bring Naruto back, and that was a doubt he did not want to entertain. He was an Uchiha. There was nothing he couldn't accomplish if he put his mind to it, not even this. He would be enough. He had to be.

As it turned out, he didn't have to meet Gaara at all for this mission. As Kazekage, he had to remain within the village, so the one who greeted them at the border between River Country and Wind Country was his sister Temari. That was where they received the second part of the briefing.

"The reason the Kazekage sent me to meet up with you guys is because we suspect traitors in Suna," said Temari as soon as they were done exchanging the pleasantries. "Kankurou has been on the case, but those people have not reared their heads yet. The plan right now is to let it be business as usual and let the Akatsuki show up. The traitors would definitely show themselves when the Akatsuki try to capture the Kazekage."

"You mean Gaara is going to be the bait?" Sakura asked. Concern colored her voice. Sasuke wondered when her acquaintance with the Kazekage had grown so personal.

Temari nodded. "That's right. We don't know what your presence might do to the Akatsuki's moves, so this mission has to be done covertly. You guys must not contact anyone else aside from the Kazekage, Kankurou, Baki-san, and myself. There is an oasis about half a day by foot from Sunagakure that you can use as base, but don't let your guards down. Other people know the place as well, and you must not be discovered at all cost."

"If you said other people know," began Shikamaru, "does that mean the Akatsuki might stop there as well?"

"Highly probable," she said.

"Tricky," replied Shikamaru. "They might hightail out of there if we are discovered."

"Then don't get discovered," replied Temari with a slight upturn of her lips. Sasuke could hear Shikamaru muttering "Troublesome" under his breath. Temari's smile seemed to widen a little more as she watched the lazy ninja. Sasuke couldn't help lifting an eyebrow at the scene. Apparently something had been going on in the past three years he'd been absent.

"So, if I understand correctly, our duty is to make sure that the Akatsuki members that attack Suna do not get away," said Kakashi. Temari nodded. It was clear that Temari was confident about the plan. Gaara had become even stronger over the years, and his capture was considered very unlikely. That was why they were focusing on capturing the Akatsuki and the traitors. Sasuke wasn't quite so sure about the prospect, not that he thought Gaara wasn't good, but because the Akatsuki knew this, too. He knew, however, that voicing his objection would change little. The Leaf ninja only had a supporting role in this mission. The main players had already decided what they needed to do, so Sasuke was going to go along with them for as long as the plan still worked.

They disguised themselves once they reached the edge of the desert and headed out for the oasis. The area around Suna had to be treated as enemy territory, since they didn't know who else might be working with the Akatsuki. They couldn't make their presence known to anyone. They tried to keep a distance from the caravans, not wanting anyone to see them going in or out of the oasis. Temari helped them set up base in a cave on a ridge before she left to inform the Kazekage that they had arrived. Now all they needed to do was wait for the signal.

As it turned out, waiting in a small cave, hiding from the burning sunlight and scorching heat of the desert, was actually more tiring than it looked. They could barely move without being exhausted in that temperature. Ino and Chouji looked like they were ready to pass out from heatstroke. Shikamaru kept most of his cool, possibly because of the fan he wisely brought with him. Kakashi looked surprisingly normal. He was reading one of Jiraiya's books like usual. Sakura was the busiest one. She was preparing pills to counter the heat for when they needed to go into battle. As for Sasuke, he was beginning to hate his clothes.

"Here," said Shikamaru as he handed over a spare fan. Sasuke thanked him and took it. He quickly untied the sash on his waist that held the haori and began waving a breeze onto his skin. He had already forgone his undershirt for this mission, something his father would have frowned upon considering he was bearing the Uchiha's emblem while dressing inappropriately. Why must the weather be so intolerable?

On hindsight, he shouldn't have opened the haori in front of Ino. She and Sakura might have grown out of their childish crush on him, but that didn't mean they wouldn't appreciate the view, as Jiraiya would say. Ino really looked like she was going to faint then. Sasuke was thankful that Sakura was too busy to really pay him any attention.

"You might want to cover up some skin, Uchiha. Not that I'm intimidated or anything," Shikamaru said as joined Sasuke in watching the world outside turning into hell. He eyed the haori. "Geez, that's way breezier than mine and you still sweat like a pig."

"I don't like heat," was all Sasuke could say to that. He had always had low tolerance to hot weather. That was why he always wore a shirt that seemed to be a little too big for him when he was younger and never a jacket, unlike Naruto who seemed to be able to wear one in any weather.

Shikamaru huffed an acknowledgement. "Why don't you go take a nap or something. We'll need energy to explore this place later when the sun finally goes down," he said.

"Shouldn't that be an order from the mission commander?" Sasuke asked as he motioned towards Kakashi who was still reading his porn.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei asked me to sort this one out for him," replied Shikamaru with a heavy sigh. "What a bother."

Sasuke frowned. True that Kakashi was laidback and could sometimes come off as lazy, but Sasuke never knew him to shirk his duty. Then again, Shikamaru was nominated for a promotion. This might be more of a test for the lazy ninja himself rather than an aberration of Kakashi's character.

"And how are we going to do that when we aren't supposed to be seen here?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru shrugged and lay down on his back, the fan waving over his face. "I'll think about it when it's cooler," he said. Sasuke sighed. He turned to look at Kakashi eyeing them, and decided that the test really was needed.

/***/

The oasis was busy at dusk with people leaving and coming to the place, all of them trying to avoid the heat of the sun, so it was also a good time to explore. Using an animal henge might have been far less trouble, but they didn't know the fauna in the area well enough to make convincing local pests, so Shikamaru decided that they should pretend to be travellers to gather information, a kind of mission that Sasuke had to admit to Shikamaru he wasn't inclined to do. Shikamaru then told him to be their eyes and ears and let Ino do the talking.

"Actually, you can be a lady of some elite family or something, and I'll be a servant. That way it'd look more natural that I'm the one asking questions and consulting with you," Ino suggested. Since Sasuke couldn't think of a better plan, he replied with an affirmative 'Hnn'. Ino's wide smile made him slightly uncomfortable.

Sasuke had witnessed the Sexy no Jutsu before. He had never, not in a million years, imagine himself doing something similar. He had to remind himself that Sexy no Jutsu was simply a perverted henge and it didn't deserve special consideration _at all_. Turning into the opposite sex was normal on a mission, but there was something about it that was deeply disquieting. Sasuke wondered how Naruto could turn into a naked woman without as much as a blush.

But perhaps being naked would have been easier, since Sasuke found it surprisingly difficult to find the right clothing. As a woman of high-birth, the clothes had to be elaborate yet practical for travelling in the desert. He tried a few ideas from what he knew of desert culture, all of which caused Ino to scrunch her face and said something along the line of 'no', 'that's not right', 'can we change that?'

After a while he was tired of trying. This was why he didn't like covert operations: the preparation was too taxing. "What's the problem with all those clothes?"

Ino blinked and then sighed. "The problem, Sasuke-kun," she began, "is that all the men in oasis would be after you like horny mutts in that disguise."

Sasuke frowned. "Those clothes weren't slutty."

Ino shook her head. "No, they're not. But they don't have to be!" she said before her face was set and she went into a lecture mode. "A woman can wear perfectly decent clothes and still ooze sensuality. Travelling with Jiraiya-sama must have screwed your perception. You were around sensual women too much that you don't know how to act like a normal one."

If looks could kill, Sasuke would have done it six times before the last insult. "So I make a slutty woman. That's what you are saying."

Ino looked like she wanted to deny it but settled with being honest. "Yeah, I guess."

Sasuke could feel an oncoming of a headache. "You _guess,_" he hissed.

"Okay, okay, fine. How about this? Just do the last henge and act natural. Just be Sasuke, and see if that works."

Sasuke huffed, performed the hand signs, and in a puff a slightly shorter brunette stood in his place. She wore an elaborately embroidered scarf over her head to protect her face from the elements. Lighter fabric hang loosely from her shoulder, teasingly showing the shape of the breasts that were hidden from sight. A sash on the waist enhanced the feminine curve while the long skirt hid everything from the waist down. A thicker cloak rested on her shoulders and covered her arms to protect her from the cool desert night.

The only thing that would probably stop anyone from approaching her was the murderous look on her face.

"Great!" Ino exclaimed. A puff of smoke and in her place was a boy wearing a matching sash, a light shirt, and loose pants. The simplicity of the costume just made Sasuke miss being male intensely. Ino checked her henge and her weapon before turning to him. "All right, then. Shall we head out now, milady?"

Sasuke huffed and said, "Whatever," in a voice too feminine to really be his.

Ino gave him the board smile. "That's the spirit!" she exclaimed again and Sasuke sighed. Ino was having way too much fun.

They arrived at the gathering to find Shikamaru and Chouji conversing with the travellers. It was strange to look at Shikamaru, who looked thirty years older than he actually was. Chouji, who'd also turned to a man about the same age, didn't look that different.

"You look beautiful tonight, milady," said Chouji with a hint of humour in his voice. Sasuke wanted to punch him.

"What's the status?" he asked without further ado. Shikamaru looked at Ino, who smiled apologetically and shrugged as if to say this was the best they could do. Shikamaru nodded and relayed what he had learned while Chouji was on watch. In essence, the travellers never made used of every areas of the oasis. There was a cave system out back that was said to belong to the gods, and so no one went close to there except to pray.

"We'll go check out the caves," said Shikamaru. "You two get more info about what travellers do around here so we can spot if someone gets suspicious."

Sasuke and Ino nodded. They parted ways and Ino began working her magic on people. Sasuke was mainly there to bat his eyelashes at tough merchants and scowl at leering ones. Apparently the Look of Doom was a turn on for some perverts. No one approached him or made explicit comments, but he had to wonder how a kunoichi could go through a mission where her body was put on the line.

"Yeah, it can be degrading sometimes," replied Ino at the end of their information gathering session. They stopped by a food vender for their much deserved dinner. Sasuke was told to sit and wait on a log while Ino the servant fetched the food.

Sasuke was sipping his tea when he felt like he was being watched. With so many people and so many activities around him, it took some time before he spotted a man three logs away facing him. He wore a heavy, dark red cloak with a hood that hid many of his features. But his face was visible, and Sasuke could see those eyes bright from the flicker of the fire in front of him. The man conversed with the person in front of him from time to time, but those eyes would drift to Sasuke and fix on him with the intensity that made him look away.

Sasuke had to remind himself that he was in a henge in that moment, a female henge no less. As far as his experience that evening went, men were bound to stare at him. He just had to act normal, feign indifference to that stare like a lady of high birth would do. But those eyes kept bothering him. It wasn't that the man was openly leering at him or anything, and that was the point: Sasuke didn't know why he was looking. He seemed curious, interested but not necessarily in a sexual way. Before long, Sasuke was openly staring right back. Realizing that he was caught, the man blinked and promptly dropped his gaze, and Sasuke couldn't help smirking at his victory.

That was when Sasuke noticed the man staring back at him again, but on his face was stunned realization. Sasuke first thought was that his henge had dropped so he chanced a quick glance down. On hindsight, that had been the wrong move. When he looked at the man again, he had already stood up, dragging his companion along with him. Sasuke noticed a katana strapped across his back, unlike how a samurai would have carried it. The two men engaged in a hushed but rather heated discussion as they walked briskly away. Sasuke was instantly alarmed but knew that if he made an overt move, his would be busted. He tried to discreetly keep track of where they were moving but there were too many people, too many movements. A man blocked Sasuke's field of vision for a second and the two just disappeared from the gathering like they went up in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke's palms were sweating as he looked around, trying to figure out where they might have gone to disappear so quickly, but he couldn't find anything. He was startled when Ino's smiling face came suddenly into view as she put their meal on the little table in front of him. "My apology for the wait, milady," said Ino, unaware of what Sasuke had just seen.

He grabbed her shirt and told her in hushed voice that, "There were two ninja in the crowd. They recognized me."

It took Ino a few second to let it sink in. "What!" she replied in equally hushed tone. "Who? Where?...How?"

"I don't know," said Sasuke. "They were having their meal just over there and one of them kept staring at me. They left the moment they knew who I was."

"Are you sure they know _you_?"

"Yes, why else did they have to stare for so long."

Ino swore under her breath before she said, "Okay, I'm getting this packed up. We need to go back to base."

/***/

End of Chapter 23

**A/N:**

** wierdsquirrelgirl** Hohoho, that's going to be one heck of a trip for sure.

** guest** Awwww, thanks. I'm glad you like the ambiguity there. And, yeah, I haven't thought of what Itachi might think about this Naruto (he hadn't seen Naruto yet, that's the thing), but he's definitely not someone niisan is going to approve for his otouto.

** smooth-alkaline** Thanks! I'm flattered you think this story is in the higher-quality category. I mean, it's not at the same level as Kizukatana's stories or anything. (By the way, I totally endorse this author. Go checkout the profile on AO3 if you haven't yet. And that goes for everyone who's reading this.) I don't think I have _that_ intimate a knowledge of the character's thought process actually. I make up a lot of things about them and how they work, and I do worry at times whether I go too far out of character. I'm glad you found them close enough to the canon counterparts that they can still be connected back.

** sommerangel2014** And my response is yes, but not only. *wink wink*

** davycrockett100** ** Shinan7 **Thanks, man!

** ac** You're definitely not slow. I don't think many people actually look at the chapter titles. I normally don't. So it's mostly a game I play with myself. I discovered a few cool artists myself since my repertoire is definitely not large enough. (Paddy and the Rat who did 'Scums of the Seven Seas' is my most prized find to date.) I don't like the idea of resurrecting the dead, because it undermines the drama of the death itself (among other reasons). Nobody is going to cry a stream of tears when somebody dies in Dragon Ball because we know the heroes just need to summon a dragon god and ask for a resurrection. Problem solved. That's no fun, right?

** ZyiareHellsing** Thank you! Well, Orochimaru definitely deserves a send-off that befits the man we all love to hate, doesn't he?

** Corpj123** Naruto also has more reason to be cruel to Orochimaru than Sasuke, because Orochimaru is the target of Naruto's revenge while he was just a hurdle Sasuke has to go over in the canon. But, yeah, the level of violence was still excessive. BUT Naruto is not all evil and darkness, so we'll have to see what Sasuke can do. (I have not written up to that part yet, so I'm waiting just as much as you are, my friend. This is going to take a long ass time.)

** nekomode** I totally recommend looking up 'counting bodies like sheep' on youtube if you haven't. It's my personal earworm, and what I think of as a theme song for Naruto-Kurama and Naruto-Orochimaru relationship. The cracked teacup is me tipping my hat to the teacup premonition that Kishimoto seemed fond of using for a time. I'm kind of glad he got over that, because it was sooooo overused.

I'm glad that Orochimaru's death stirred such conflicting emotions. Killings should evoke that kind of thing, in my opinion, even of the most evil man. Revenge is also a complicated thing. I don't remember where I got this from but someone has pointed out that in order to destroy the villain, the hero must be bathed in the blood of his enemy. Would that not ultimately make him one of them?

I actually omitted the violence in the first draft, but both me and Ashimodo felt like it wasn't satisfying and the doll sequence was born. Hopefully there was no nightmare for you. On that note, don't listen the Counting Bodies Like Sheep before you go to sleep. That might cause a problem.

Allergic rhinitis. Ouch. I hope the season passes soon so you can get better. :)

**korohoshi** Soon, my friend. Soon.


	24. Chapter 24: Boom Clap

**A/N:** Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, follows, and favs from the last chapter. Many speculation will be answered in this chapter so, without further ado, here we go.

Warning for violence and exercise of creative license.

Again, this chapter is refined by the skillful Ashimodo. Thanks, man!

**Chapter 24: Boom Clap**

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked. He already knew the answer, but he had to ask again. It just didn't make sense.

"Of course I am," Sasuke said with a hint of irritation. "I have no idea who they are, but they definitely recognized me."

Kakashi wanted to think that his student was paranoid, but because of the delicate nature of their operation, little details like this couldn't be ignored. From what he'd heard, those two were unlikely members of the Akatsuki, but they still could be working for the Akatsuki in some way. The next question was, why Sasuke? Kakashi had been in the shinobi circle for too long to not be recognized, especially with his unique features. Sasuke, compared to him, was a baby shinobi. His name had yet to be logged in any bingo book and he lacked any particularly distinguishing features, despite his general good looks.

"What do you think might have given away that it was you under the henge?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke thought for a moment and then said, "I don't know. I was just staring at him at that point, and when he looked away, I smirked and that was it."

Kakashi's eyebrow lifted.

"Get recognized from a smirk. That sounds personal to me," said Shikamaru. "Did you break any heart while you were away, Uchiha?"

Sasuke glared at him.

"The better question is when did he _not_ break hearts," teased Ino. Sakura chuckling in the background only served to irritate Sasuke even further. Kakashi had to remind himself that as accomplished as they were, they were just teenagers.

"All right, children, that's enough," he interjected, and they all became quiet and attentive again. "I see two possibilities here. Either this is a personal matter involving Sasuke _or _an enemy ninja recognizing the disguised Sasuke as another ninja. Either way, this is a factor we did not take into account before and can potentially complicate our mission." At this point everyone was listening intently. Kakashi was grateful for their ability to focus on the issue at hand. "We can't track them right now without exposing ourselves and our mission. From what I understand, they don't have proof that you are indeed a shinobi and we can still get away if we lay low. As of now, we focus on the mission."

They all replied in an affirmative before they started the watch and got some rest for the night. Sasuke still seemed ill at ease, which Kakashi could understand. The worst thing in this kind of secret mission was to have it blown up from some minute detail.

But, as usual, when things got intense, it could only get worse.

/***/

It was noon, the height of scorching heat, when the messenger bird finally arrived at the oasis bearing bad news. After a long laborious fight, the Akatsuki successfully captured Gaara. The trap had completely failed, and Kankurou was poisoned trying to retrieve him at Suna's gate. Both members were now heading their way with the Kazekage in their grasp.

Sakura quickly handed out the heat pills to her teammates, double checked and triple checked that they took it so they could fight in the desert heat. Sakura, regrettably, was needed elsewhere. There were so many casualties in Suna that Temari had to request for her help. She chewed the bottom of her lips as she slung the medical kit across her shoulder. Sunagakure was roughly forty-five minutes top speed for a shinobi like her, but she would be useless unless she preserved some energy for the healing. That would take her an hour-ish and with Kankurou in critical state, Sakura didn't like the odds very much.

She was surprised to rush out of the cave and find Sasuke with his eagle waiting for her. Apparently his summon could take two humans. It would only take them twenty minutes full speed to Suna. She wasn't entirely sure if all this was sanctioned by Kakashi-sensei, but she wasn't going to say no to the ride.

"And I thought we needed to keep a low profile," she said as she got on behind Sasuke and held on tightly to him. If she were still crushing on him, she would have been giddy. As it was, all she could think of at that moment was Gaara, Kankurou, and the list of poisons, symptoms, and antidotes.

"We don't need to anymore," Sasuke said before commanding the eagle to rise. The rush of wind made it a little hard to breathe but she held on tight. Twenty minutes seemed like an hour before the eagle circled and landed at the gate of Sunagakure where Temari waited with a team of Sand shinobi. In the shadow of the gate were dozens of bodies lying haphazardly across the rocks.

Sakura took one look at them before rushing to Temari. "What happened?" was the first thing Sakura said once her feet hit the ground.

"Two Akatsuki attacked. One of the Akatsuki is Sasori of the Red Sand, a puppet and poison master. Kankurou fought him and was poisoned," Temari reported quickly. Sakura nodded. She noticed then that Kankurou was still there with a medic beside him. She looked up and Temari said, "We were going to move him. You came faster than we thought."

She knelt down beside Kankurou and checked his vitals. She could feel the medic's eyes on her, but she didn't care at this point. Temari told her to trust no one, so she was going to check his condition herself. "Do you know what poison was used?" Sakura asked just on the off chance that she would have something that might work.

"No, I have no idea. He was already out of it when I arrived," Temari said. The inflection of her last few words told Sakura of her frustration. Temari was protective of her family, and Sakura admired her for that. She turned to the medic, and he shook his head, but told her that there was an empty vial next to the unconscious body when he arrived. Kankurou must have injected it himself, since none of them knew what it was for. But clearly, that antidote hadn't been enough.

"We need to get to the hospital," said Sakura. "There's no further treatment we can give him here."

Temari let out a 'Tch'. "The transport team should be here by now!" she growled. The shinobi in the vicinity flinched.

"Our resources are stretched pretty thin, Temari-sama," said the medic meekly from beside Sakura, only for Temari to glare back at him. Sakura gave him an encouraging smile. She was worried herself, but trying her best to keep her cool. She wanted to check all of Kankurou's injuries to determine the effects of the poison, and she couldn't do it out here on the sand.

"I can take him on the eagle's back if you two can clear the path and show me where to land," Sasuke offered, much to Temari's surprise. She didn't object, however, and began ordering her people immediately. Sakura helped secure Kankurou on the eagle's back.

"I'll be waiting," Sakura said, before heading out herself. There were many things she wanted to express, like how surprised she was or how thankful she was that he was there, but she didn't have the time. She set out right away knowing she would take more time than the eagle to reach her destination. By the time she arrived at the hospital, the sand ninja that stood guard already knew she and Sasuke were coming and showed her the way immediately. They were already carrying Kankurou in on a stretcher when she got to the room, Sasuke and Temari trailing a bit behind.

"Baki-san is off to see the elders. One of them might be able to help, but there is no guarantee," said Temari. Sakura nodded. She quickly asked Kankurou to be stripped for examination. As far as she could tell, there wasn't a sign of the poison being injected anywhere on his body. The only entry point she could conceive of where the cuts on his torso. She swallowed when she realized how strong this poison must have been to knock Kankurou out with such a small amount.

She performed the hand signs and summoned a small slug. "Hello, Katsuro-kun," she greeted.

"Hello, Sakura-san," said the little slug in a small, quiet voice. "What can I do for you today?"

"I have a patient here who is poisoned by something that's really fast acting. He has been unconscious for thirty minutes now, but his vitals are still in the safe zone. Can you figure out what it is and what it does for me?"

"Hai," replied the slug as it climbed onto Kakurou. The slug enlarged its mouth and attached it to the cut as it began sucking out Kankurou's blood. Sakura quickly ordered for spare blood. She knew Katsuro wouldn't draw enough to cause danger, but considering the time elapsed, the slug still had to draw a lot to ensure that he got enough.

Once Katsuro was done, the wound was cleaned. The slug gave her a go-ahead to seal the wound off and prevent infection. The Sand medic was back with the blood, and he began the transfusion right away.

Satisfied that she was not needed at the moment, Sakura turned to Katsuro. "So, what is it?" she asked.

Katsuro looked thoughtful before saying, "It's a combination to two types of poison, Sakura-san. One is a neurotoxin that induces skeletal paralysis and affects the brain functions, effectively rendering him unconscious. It's not designed to kill. The other, however," Katsuro's voice was suddenly filled with concern, "is cytotoxin. It is destroying the cells as we speak. This poison is slow acting, but because the entering site is on his chest-"

"It's already in his bloodstream," Sakura finished, drawing a long calming breath. There wasn't a way to slow it down if the site of entry was on the torso like that. "How long does he have?"

"A day maximum."

Sakura took another long calming breath. They had two types of poison to deal with. Katsuro had the sample. All she needed to do was to figure out the components and how to counteract them. She had to start with the cytotoxin. Cells being destroyed, while slow, caused a variety of problems to the organs, especially the kidneys. She wouldn't be surprised if his condition became critical in the next few hours. Paralysis could be countered. She already had something. All she needed now was-

Her train of thought was interrupted when Baki-san and an old woman entered the room. They were also discussing Kankurou's condition when the old woman spotted her and shouted, "Leaf, why are you here?"

Sakura was taken aback by the vehemence in the old woman's voice, but she stood her ground. "I am here to help," she said.

The old woman scoffed. "Have we become so weak that we need Konoha now?" She directed her accusation at Baki.

The man tried to say something but Sakura cut him off. She had enough on her mind already, and she was not going to let this old hag waste her time. "This is not about Konoha or Suna," she said. "I come here because my friends need me. I will not abandon them."

The old woman was taken aback by that, and Sakura felt the satisfaction of shutting her up. She turned back to Katsuro, but not before the old woman asked, "What is that slug woman Tsunade to you?"

"I am her apprentice," Sakura said. There was a strange light in the old woman's eyes but she didn't say anything, so Sakura turned to a nurse in the room. "We will need to make the antidote. Is there any place here that I can use for a lab?" The nurse nodded. She quickly asked for the equipment she needed right away before turning to discuss with the medic about how best to deal with Kankurou's symptoms as she isolated the components of the poison.

By the time she was done, Sasuke walked up to her. She was honestly a little startled that he was there, since she wasn't familiar with having him around while she was working. "Sakura," he said, "I'll be going back."

Sakura blinked, confused for a moment before she realized what he was trying to say. "I have some anti-paralysis you can take with you," she said as she strode to her medical kit and pulled out some of bottles. "This is a counter to neurotoxin, but it's generic, so it might not work very well. I don't have anything for cytotoxin right now. It's best to try to slow down the blood circulation if you can, but I know that's very unlikely to happen in a battle."

Sasuke listened attentively and nodded. "That should be enough," he said, pocketing the bottle in his pouch. To her surprise, he looked her in the eyes and said, "We'll bring Gaara back safely," before he turned around and walked out the door.

Sakura felt her throat clamp shut for a second, but after she slapped her face twice and took a deep breath, it was gone. She needed to be in control. She had work to do. Kankurou needed her. Her friend would take care of the Akatsuki and Gaara. She only needed to focus on what she could do in that moment.

When Sakura looked up again, she noticed the old woman looking at her with a thoughtful gaze. When their eyes locked, the old woman asked, "How much do you know about poisons?"

Sakura blinked. "Just the basics," she replied. She hoped that it was enough.

Sakura was almost ready for the old woman to scoff at her when she suddenly said, "Very well, I'll guide you through the advanced stuff. Follow me," and began walking towards the door. Sakura barely registered the fact that she was supposed to follow until Temari gave her a nudge.

"I think she likes you," Temari whispered before turning back to tend to her unconscious brother. Sakura lifted her eyebrows but followed the old woman without question.

/***/

As soon as Sasuke and Sakura were on their way to Suna, the rest of the team headed out to intercept the Akatsuki. Considering how hectic everything had been since the news arrived, Kakashi was surprised that Sasuke even managed to give him a heads-up about the eagle, but that was a minor point at the moment. The focus was stopping the Akatsuki before they set foot outside Suna's territory.

The problem with fighting in a place like this, aside from the complication from the climate, was that there was not much place to hide. There was just flat land all around, and the moment they caught sight of the enemy, their enemy would have caught sight of them, too. Ambushing was out of question, so they only had their strength to rely on. That was a tactic Kakashi didn't like considering the Akatsuki's reputation. These people, after all, were S-rank missing nin.

The crude plan he went through with the team was that they were going to split into two and deal with each Akatsuki member separately. Shikamaru and Kakashi were going to take down the Akatsuki that had Gaara first before joining the second team to take down the other. Real life, of course, never followed the plan. The moment the Akatsuki spotted them, the one with Gaara took off into the sky with his bird, taking the Kazekage with him. They were just high enough to be outside the reach of Shikamaru's shadow technique. But more importantly, Shikamaru turned out to be crucial for fighting the puppet master. Since he could only use his shadow technique for a limited time, they went in a little too hastily. Chouji was poisoned before Ino discovered that the man they saw in front of them was in fact a puppet. The most likely scenario was that the real puppet master was hidden inside, but there was no direct access for Ino to enter his mind.

As Kakashi tried to come up with a change of plan, he sensed another group of people approaching them from the direction of the oasis. Their speed and chakra told him that they were shinobi. He could only guess that they were the group that Sasuke met last night. Everything was coming to a head, and Kakashi wasn't entirely sure he could deal with all of it right then.

Then suddenly one of the chakra, the strongest one, sped up from behind him. Kakashi turned around just in time to see the whirlwind of dark red go past him with a loud, "GET BACK!" The cloak prevented Kakashi from getting a good visual, but the blue glow of chakra in the right hand underneath the small cyclone was clearly visible. The release of the jutsu caused a small tornado to blow up right around the puppet master, tangling up the puppets and strings. The sand also got pulled up and buried the puppeteer underneath the falling grains.

It was when the wind died down that Kakashi got the visual confirmation he needed. In front of him was Naruto in a dark red cloak with a katana strapped across his back. The blond turned in his direction and they made eye contact for a second, a second when Kakashi thought he saw recognition, before Naruto turned away from him to whoever was behind. He shouted, "Told you I wasn't paranoid!"

Kakashi chanced a glance over his shoulder and there stood a man and woman in similar cloaks. One had a large sword, the other a spear. If he wasn't mistaken, that sword once belonged to the deceased Zabuza Momochi. "Got it, Boss," said the man. He sounded inordinately tired and was sweating more than any of the Leaf ninja did. He took a look at the enemy and whined, "Ahh, man, these aren't them. This place sucks."

"I told you to stay behind," said a large man approaching them with a redhead girl.

He turned away from them when he sensed another surge of chakra. Naruto had his eyes on the sky and the wind around his hand again. He looked like he wanted to shoot the bird down.

"Hold it," said the woman with the spear as she approached Naruto. "They are too far up. Your wind won't reach that high."

Naruto let out a rather loud 'Tch' and was about to say something when the sliding of the sand took their attention away. From underneath the dune rose a man out of the shell of his own puppet.

The man looked young, with hair like blood and skin like porcelain. As the Sharingan spun Kakashi realized the comparison was more apt than not; the face, the limbs, the body - everything but a small section around the heart was fake. Their enemy had turned his own body into a puppet. The jounin grimaced.

"How?" Ino muttered as she watched him raise his puppets from their grave.

"I am Sasori of the Red Sand," he replied. "Sand is my element. It doesn't harm me or my puppets." Then he turned to the sky. "Deidara, you go ahead. This might take longer than I thought."

"Very well, Sasori-danna," replied the long-haired blond before the bird headed out, flying towards the direction of the oasis.

"Dammit," muttered Naruto. He looked at the woman. She nodded. With that he ran back towards the rest of his team with a shout, "Juugo!"

At that the large man turned around and crouched. Naruto performed a series of hand signs, clasping his hand on the back of the man's neck, and Juugo began to transform. His body elongated and his arms and legs changed shape to those similar to a cheetah. Naruto swung up on his back, and they were rushing off right after the bird.

Kakashi didn't know why Naruto was here. He knew he should follow him just to make sure that Gaara would be safe, but there was no way he could keep up with their speed, not by a long shot.

As he was distracted, he heard a female voice calling from the other direction. "Eyes on the enemy, sensei," said the spear-user looking at him from over her shoulder. "Naruto won't do your charge any harm. Concentrate on this."

And by _this_, she meant the hundred puppets in front of them.

His day just kept getting better.

/***/

Sasuke could spot the site of the clash a long way away just from the sheer number of puppets that were utilized. It was like a cloud of black amidst the light brown sand. He looked around for the other Akatsuki but didn't find him there. Baki told him before he left that the Akatsuki that captured the Kazekage used a white bird, so Sasuke suspected that he might have fled.

As his eyes were roaming the battlefield, he spotted a redhead just outside of the combat zone next to an unmoving Chouji. He quickly got down from the air and only then did he recognized her. His heart skipped a beat as he ran down from the eagle's back towards Karin and his unconscious friend. "What's going on?" he asked.

Karin looked up at him with a start, but composed herself quickly. "Your friend here was poisoned. I got most of the poison out, but I don't have anything for the symptoms."

Sasuke quickly tossed her the batch of anti-neurotoxin that Sakura had given him and explained to her what the poison did. She caught on surprisingly quickly, and was able to handle the bottles with great proficiency. She was babbling as she was injecting the antidote to Chouji that she was trained as a medic, although she was never certified as one. But by that time, Sasuke's mind had already shifted to something else.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked.

She seemed surprised but said, "Back towards the oasis. He's after the Akatsuki who got the Kazekage."

That was all Sasuke needed to get back on the eagle and fly off in the same direction. The girl shouted something towards him, but he didn't hear it over the sounds of the wind conjured by the eagle's wings. Soon enough he was high in the air again. They were five minutes away from the oasis by the eagle's flight, but Sasuke couldn't calm himself down. Naruto was after an Akatsuki while everyone else was engaging in the middle of the desert. Five minutes could mean anything.

His breathing must have been off, because the great eagle suddenly said, "Calm, little one. You must be ready for battle if you wish to help your friend. Do not let your emotion get the better of you."

That helped jolt Sasuke back to himself. He remembered the breathing lesson he took for flying and quickly went through the practice. He felt better at the end of it. "Thank you, Washimi-san," he said.

The great eagle did not reply. They were already at the oasis and a loud _boom _coming from the back guided them to the battlefield. There on the water reserve in front of the cave of the gods were the Akatsuki and Naruto. The white bird in question was hovering above the water next to the long-haired fighter, the Kazekage in its grasp. The moment Naruto could get close, he was pushed back by bombs that took the form of small white birds flying from the Akatsuki's palm. From that distance, Sasuke couldn't get a good visual, but it looked like the enemy had lost one of his arms in the previous fight. He stuck very close to the white bird, which served as his supply of explosive, so there wasn't really a way for Naruto to bypass him and get to Gaara either. They both seemed to restrict themselves to less damaging techniques in fear of hitting the Kazekage, who was still unconscious.

Sasuke knew he had to get Gaara out of the way before Naruto could do full damage to the Akatsuki. The question was, how. Gaara was stuck with the white bird so the great eagle couldn't just pick him up without the risk of taking the explosive with them. There were two things Sasuke knew should be done with explosives: burn them or damp them. He couldn't use water element, so damping was not an easy option. Burning the bird would harm Gaara. There wasn't much choice but to use the third option: stop the user.

Sasuke guided the great eagle down to the top of the cliff, where his descent would be less noticeable by the Akatsuki. As soon as Washimi disappeared, he made his way down the cliff and to the side of the water reserve. It was during his climb down that he noticed another figure sitting on top of the giant boulder blocking the entryway to the cave. For a moment he thought he might have been seen, and his plan might be foiled. It took him a moment to recognize the shape-shifter that was with Naruto in his battle at Otogakure. That realization came with the surprise that he wasn't fighting alongside Naruto this time.

That observation prompted him to re-evaluate the scene. There had to be a reason he was sitting on the boulder instead of joining the fight. That was also when Sasuke realized that the location was also odd. A bomber clearly had a disadvantage fighting on top of a large body of water, but the man didn't seem to try to change the battleground. This location was important somehow. Sasuke didn't know precisely why, but he bet his money on the cave. That was why Naruto had the shape-shifter guarding it. That was why the bomber didn't try to leave. He was trying to get to the cave, and Naruto was trying to prevent him from doing so.

As he crept closer to the shoreline, his plan was beginning to take more concrete shape. His hand went to the katana on his hip as he prepared for the attack. His plan required an element of surprise, so he only had one chance. He waited patiently until the Akatsuki turned his back on him with the bird in plain sight before rushing forward, dropping any shielding of his chakra to announce his arrival. He allowed a moment for his presence to be registered before he weaved the hand signs and breathed out a great fireball directly at the bird.

"Shit!" shouted the Akatsuki as he moved to protect the bird. Sasuke rushed forward, his katana swinging as he emerged out of the flame with the intention of cutting the Akatsuki in half. The man dodged out the way only to make contact with Naruto's fist, sending him flying across the water.

"Nice punch," said Sasuke as he cut Gaara out of the explosive clay. That punch was well-timed, but wouldn't stop the long-haired ninja for long. He just got Gaara's unconscious form on his shoulder when the Akatsuki sent explosives flying at them. Naruto quickly stepped in, and used his cloak to block the bomb while Sasuke took Gaara to hide in the safety of the shore.

Once the smoke died down, the Akatsuki realized that he had lost his captive. His displeasure was clear as he turned to Naruto and said, "Well, I'll have to take you instead then."

Naruto went into combat stance, and before Sasuke could even call his friend, they went at each other again. What Sasuke didn't anticipate was how deadly they were when they were not holding back. The Akatsuki was sending large explosives in Naruto's direction, too large to be deflected by wind, but Naruto was fast enough to not suffer a severe hit. His cloak was burned here and there, but not enough to do any damage to Naruto's body. What Sasuke didn't quite understand at first was why Naruto seemed to be dancing around instead of using clones to attack the long-haired ninja. Then he realized that it might have been a clever idea. Naruto was luring the Akatsuki to use his explosive to attack him so that he would use up his supply. Once the supply was gone, Naruto would win.

And if Naruto ever got into a tight spot with a bomb, all he had to do was drop into the water, a trick Naruto did once, and there was nothing the Akatsuki could have done to stop him.

"You're done," Naruto said as he got out of the lake. His hair was a wet mess, but he had this smirk on his face that meant he saw victory in sight. And Sasuke had to say he was right. The white clay was gone. There was nothing left for the long-haired ninja. Naruto went right at him with no reservation now, and Sasuke could only stare at the speed and intensity of the fight. Naruto wasn't using Rasengan, knowing that the enemy was too quick and agile for an attack that announced itself from far away. The enemy was able to block him, but Naruto was relentless. He was going to get his opponent no matter what.

That was not before his opponent got him first. "Don't underestimate me, Jinchuuriki," was what the Akatsuki said as he grabbed Naruto right arm with his bare hand and the flesh around the area spontaneously combusted.

"KYAAAAAAAAH!"

Sasuke's throat closed up at the sight. It wasn't a big explosion, but the smell of burnt flesh was enough to make his stomach sick. He was about to rush back into the battlefield when the man, no, a beast jumped down from the large boulder with a thunderous roar. Naruto was barely out of the way when the large body hit the Akatsuki and into the water. Large roaring waves from the impact pulled Naruto under for a minute before he surfaced close to the shoreline, close enough for Sasuke to drag him out.

Naruto was bleeding profusely and out of breath when Sasuke finally managed to help him on his feet, but he pulled away and turned back to the water. "JUUGO!" he shouted. They could see the waves, but they couldn't tell what was happening, and frankly Sasuke didn't care. He just knew he had to take Gaara and Naruto to safety before the Akatsuki emerged. He grabbed Naruto's left arm and began dragging him, but Naruto resisted. "Let go of me, bastard! Juugo is still in there!"

"He got into that fight to stop the Akatsuki from taking YOU! You're not helping if you get mixed up in there as well," Sasuke countered.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him in indignant anger. "You don't know jack-shit about Juugo, so shut up!" he shouted.

Sasuke was pissed. Yes, Naruto was right when he said Sasuke didn't know this Juugo-guy, but that didn't mean he was completely blind. "But Juugo cares about you, doesn't he?"

Naruto looked like he didn't know the answer. Sasuke just wanted to whack him in the back of the head.

"You and your martyr syndrome are going to get him killed. Think about your priorities, idiot! If you and Gaara are both here, there is a chance the Akatsuki will get one of you and whomever he takes will be our loss. Juugo will also be in the crossfire. We have to get out of here."

Naruto's jaw set tight and his eyes were defiant, but he didn't protest. Sasuke knew he'd got him.

"We need to hide Gaara somewhere since he's still out of it," he said before turning around to get the Sand Jinchuuriki over his shoulders. "And we need to look at your arm. C'mon."

This time Naruto followed him, a turn of events he was thankful for. They were following the stream from the reserve towards the gathering place when Naruto suddenly took the lead and motioned him to follow. Sasuke was surprised to find that Naruto was familiar with the outback. He led them away from the stream into a canyon that Sasuke could tell no one visited because of how rough the terrain was. There wasn't much except cliff faces and rocks until about two minutes into their run when suddenly row after row of old windows and doors, big and small and at various heights, appeared on the side of the cliffs. It took a moment and some oddly placed entrance ways for Sasuke to realize that they were fake. Even so, together they gave the impression of a long abandoned town, quiet and dead.

Naruto finally stopped when they reached a large fake door of what looked like an entrance to an old shrine. It must have been painted once, but the color had faded and the plaster chipped in various places. To the side of the door was an entryway partially blocked by dried out planks. Naruto pushed them aside so there was enough space for them to walk in. The inside was dark and dank. It smelled old and unused, which just added to the eerie feeling surrounding the place.

"Wait here," said Naruto as he disappeared further into the cave. A moment later, Sasuke saw a spark of light. A candle was lit and with his eyes more accustomed to the dark he could finally see what was inside. In the middle was a statue of some god Sasuke didn't recognize, seated on a high platform. On the walls of the cave where drawings of the gods with the motif of eyes all over the place, like they were watching the people that came in here.

Naruto motioned him forward and took them to the back of the statue. There was an alcove there large enough for a few people to lie down. Sasuke spotted a pack and a bedroll already laid out and knew instantly that this was where Naruto had stayed. This place was so out of the way that they didn't find him. Sasuke put Gaara down on the bedroll, before he finally looked around. With a hiding place like this, it would be near impossible to track them aside from using scent or chakra sensing. He grabbed a blank scroll, a brush, and ink cartridge out of his pouch before heading to the doorway. Using the little light that came in, he quickly wrote a seal down on the scroll, hang it over the doorway and performed the hand signs to activate it.

"What is that?" asked Naruto as he watched from the side.

Sasuke packed his things and said, "Chakra barrier. He won't be able to detect us."

Naruto nodded.

And just like that, Sasuke found that words had left him. They were finally alone with no one else, not Sound ninja, not Leaf shinobi, not anyone from Sand. This was his chance to reason with Naruto, and try to make him come home. He had practiced this moment so many times in his head, but when Naruto was finally in front of him, he couldn't find a single word to say. Any thoughts he might have had were stopped by Naruto's presence alone, and Sasuke found that he suddenly didn't know how to stand, where to place his arms, or even where to look. Naruto didn't seem like he had the same problem since he was just looking at Sasuke, something the raven became very aware of. That gaze seemed to make his skin prickle.

As he tried to occupy his mind elsewhere, his eyes fell on Naruto's right arm. With the blood finally stopped, he could now see the extent of the injury and it left him wondering how the blood could have stopped at all. He was certain a patch of skin was gone. He could see small patches of white here and there. Some parts were blackened and Sasuke decided that right then really wasn't the time for them to talk about the past.

"Let me have a look at that," he said before stepping forward, but Naruto took a step back. The distance between them was the same as before, and Sasuke felt an ache in his chest.

"It'll heal soon," Naruto said dismissively. "You know that."

He had seen an entire fist-sized hole in Naruto's chest being filled up in a matter of minutes. Of course he knew. "But it still hurts, doesn't it?" he asked. It had to, judging by how bad it looked. Sasuke didn't know if there was much he could do, but at least he could clean and bandage it up.

But Naruto just shrugged like it was nothing. "Not the worst I've got," he said. The coldness in his eyes was enough to let Sasuke know which time was the worst of all.

Sasuke wasn't the best person with words. If his pride would allow him, he would have said he was the worst, especially with Naruto. "Look," Sasuke began, his brain scrapping for something to say, "I know what I did to you was-"

"Oh, cut the crap," Naruto said with a huff as he began to move towards the door.

Sasuke quickly blocked his way. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"To get Juugo and kick some serious ass, of course," said Naruto as he tried to push past him. The accidental brush on the right arm caused Naruto to hiss and a brief spark to run up Sasuke's arm. The blond flinched back. It was obvious that he was hiding how much pain his arm was actually in.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're still injured," said Sasuke.

Naruto snorted. "Not for long," he said nonchalantly and pushed Sasuke out of the way.

But Sasuke pushed right back. "I'm being serious here, Naruto! I'm not going to let you get yourself killed from your hero complex-"

That was all he could say before Naruto pushed him up against the wall. His face was right in Sasuke's. His voice was coated in anger as he said, "And I've had quite enough of you and your superiority complex, Uchiha," before turning towards the door.

But Sasuke wasn't going to let him walk away like that. He grabbed Naruto's upper arms and threw him into the nearest wall, using his own body to pin the blond in place. "How stupid could you get, Dead-last!? They are after you and you are going to walk out there and serve yourself up to them on a silver platter?" he hissed.

Naruto twisted his body, and the next thing Sasuke knew he was the one pinned to the wall instead. "I'm stupid!? How about someone infiltrating a campsite in a perfect henge but has such low acting skill that he couldn't even pull the boobs off?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "It was you."

Naruto snorted.

Sasuke stared at him in disbelief for a long moment. Here he was worried that their mission would be ruined by an enemy recognizing his disguise when it was actually just Naruto, and the _moron_ didn't even say anything until then. He grabbed Naruto's shoulders and turned them around, pinning Naruto back against the wall. "_You,_" he growled, "You could have compromised the mission! Why didn't you say something!?"

"And then what? So you can try to drag me back to Konoha? _You_ would have compromised the operation, bastard," Naruto mocked.

That was it. Sasuke hadn't felt that much anger since the time they'd fought before the prelim. He pulled one hand back to punch, but Naruto dropped to the ground, got his arms around Sasuke's waist, and threw them against the platform. The impact made Sasuke hiss, but it didn't stop him from wrapping his legs around Naruto's torso and twisting. Naruto's back hit the ground, but he rolled and Sasuke, losing his balance, ended up on the floor instead. Sasuke kicked. Naruto dodged. Sasuke used that little let-up to lunge at the blond and knocked Naruto down on his back. Naruto punched. Sasuke blocked, but without the force keeping him down Naruto managed to dislodge him by a move of his hip. Grasping for balance, Sasuke's hand grabbed Naruto's shoulder. The force of the roll pulled Naruto right on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs. Sasuke lifted his hands to try and roll Naruto off him, but the blond grabbed and pinned them to the ground. His weight was fully on Sasuke, trapping him underneath the larger body.

Sasuke tried to think of a comeback to throw Naruto off his game, but the moment he turned to face the blond, the moment he realized how close they actually were, any thought left him. Suddenly, he was hyper aware of Naruto's body pressing down on his, of those calloused fingers on his wrists, of the hard breaths ghosting his face sending goosebumps down his neck. He was suddenly very aware of how blue Naruto's eyes were, even though they were just rings of pale color in the semi-darkness. As those eyes traced downward, his throat became dry and he felt an urge to lick his lips.

But then Naruto jumped backward like he was suddenly hit. His face turned beet red. "Wha...What did you do, bastard?"

Sasuke just blinked. "Do what?"

Naruto's face turned even redder as he struggled to find the word. "You used genjutsu on me or something," he said in a rush.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. "I didn't."

Naruto made a face that Sasuke wasn't sure was anger or exasperation. "You definitely did."

Sasuke scowled. "I definitely _did not_, Dead-last. Did you see me activate my Sharingan?" Naruto didn't reply, but he did look defeated, and Sasuke sighed. "I didn't use any jutsu on you, dumb-ass."

Sasuke expected a heated reply, but Naruto simply drew a calming breath, not really looking at him. "I know," he admitted. For a moment, he looked slightly disturbed, and that made Sasuke wonder what exactly was going on. But just as he was about to ask, Naruto lifted his chin slightly, like he always did when he was indignant. "I'm not _that_ stupid."

The raven let out a breath that was almost a laugh. It was hard not to smirk. "You make me wonder sometimes."

Naruto rolled his eyes in what looked like mock exasperation. He opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes suddenly went to the door.

A shadow passed the doorway and Sasuke knew from the look on Naruto's face that they were screwed even before he heard the voice:

"There you are, Jinchuuriki."

Naruto quickly ramped up his chakra and threw a wind shuriken at the door. Sasuke could vaguely see a bird being thrown back but only a split second before it detonated. The last thing he remembered was pulling Naruto back and throwing himself over the blond as the cave roared.

/***/

End of Chapter 24

**A/N:** The description of the canyon and the cave is based on Mogao caves in northwest of China. It's basically in the Gobi desert. I figure that since Japan has no desert or desert culture, might as well borrow the neighbor. :)

** Guest** No, Naruto doesn't use summons at all actually.

** throatcore** Aww, thank you. Your detailed comment is much appreciated. Yep, Naruto not drinking is going to be a theme here, and not just with the Scums (that name is also going to be a thing). I honestly did not know that Sakura and Gaara had a close friendship going on until this chapter, either. I knew Sakura was reaching out, but that's about it. That's the surprise you get when you let the characters be themselves, I guess. (Which I love doing, because the characters know more than the author. We're just typewriters.)

"Poor kid you have it so bad, and don't even realize it." My thought, precisely.

Both Naruto and Sasuke have so much to learn, I think. They'll be mucking things up a lot. I'm glad you like Miyu despite her not having a larger role. I really like her, too, actually. With the jinchuuriki, it's going to be a mixed. We'll get to know some; we'll also lose some.

I was really miffed that Kishimoto didn't make Rookie Nine more relevant, so I try to give them some screen time, although not all of them would be treated equally because of their respective relationships with the POV characters. So, yeah, Ino is in a good position since she's Sakura's best friend.

** silverXshadow** Thank you. I think I might have erred on the side of angst in the beginning, but I try my best to keep him in character.

** guest** Now you got the answer. :) Not a surprise, is it? I didn't watch LBD long enough to get to Darcy (I think it's very cool; I'm just not into Jane Austen's), but "the social skills of an agoraphobic lobster" describes Sasuke so perfectly.

** nekomode ***Do victory dance for keeping Kakashi and Tsunade in character* Gosh, I'm so glad to know. I think I have them down, but that's not confirmed until someone says so, is it? Haha, I don't think Sasuke is less single-minded here, actually. I think he just sees connections beyond what Naruto can. I LOVE Gaara and Naruto's friendship in the canon. Gaara is one of my favorite characters up there with Shikamaru. The absent of that friendship is palpable to me, because I think Gaara wants to be Naruto's friend, but Naruto disappeared before it can happen. It would be a very different story if Gaara had succeeded.

Personally, I think the ass-bow is Orochimaru's thing, so no, but if you like that I won't stop you. :P

I don't think there're actually heroes or villains either, not as divided by morality at least. If there is any, I think they come in the form of people who would stand up and try to solve problems in their societies. The line between heroes and villains in that case would be how far they shove their own world view and solution down other people's throat, even for a good cause.

Nah, I can't imagine Naruto-Kurama relationship being healthier. We got a severely damaged boy and Wrath itself. I can't see how that can go down well at all.

** ARandomReaderGuy** Ah, thank you. I agree with you that the reason Naruto has that optimism is because he got people who give him a chance and believe in him. Personally, I think children should have at least one person like that close to them, no matter who that might be.

I think Neji's death has a greater impact because his death challenged Naruto's world view, but only by a bit (which is really depressing because that's Neji). I had really wanted to see Naruto's world view being challenged to the extreme in the canon, but I don't think we really got that at all. I mean, Pein arc's and the later part of the Fourth War are pretty close, but not really to the point that he would break. Maybe it's just my sadistic streak talking.

** Quickest Trickster** Thank you so much! I'll try my best. What's the name of the story you mentioned btw?

** Kazuryx Uzumaki** -Fanboy-kun

Thank you very much. The reunion will be much earlier, although it will be awhile yet. So please stay tuned. :)

-Your Humble Author

** Telepath98** Thank you for your kind comment, and your patience (because getting this two together is going to take some time). And thank you for introducing me to 'kilig'. That is definitely the word for us, isn't it?

** Kai Chen** Now that you know what happened, I hope you didn't do anything to draw attention of your family members.

** Wind Strengthens Fire** Don't be! There's so many fanfic in the fandom that I don't think I know all the good ones. Thank you for reading!

** davycrockett100** Thanks, man.

** wierdsquirrelgirl **Gaara is so in-tuned with Naruto that I'd think he'd be super pissed with Sasuke, so yeah.


	25. Chapter 25: Softly, As I Leave You

**A/N:** Here is the chapter I'm sure you've been waiting for.

Warning for violence and creative license running wild.

Again, hands to Ashimodo for making this chapter the best it can be. :D

**Chapter 25: Softly, As I Leave You**

When Naruto opened his eyes, he knew he had blacked out. Everything around him was dark and quiet. The dust had settled. The door had collapsed. He counted his luck that the entire cave hadn't come crashing down as well. He would have thanked the god enshrined in the grotto if he had any idea which god that was. He was sure, though, that the god was already gone with the people that once built this place.

The next thing he wanted to check was whether he or anyone in the cave was injured from the blast. He could smell blood, but he wasn't entirely sure where it came from. He wondered if the injury on his arm was busted, but he could only feel dull pain there. He wiggled it out from under the body lying on top of him and felt the slight burn coming from it. He pulled his other arm free and gingerly touched the wound. No, his arm wasn't bleeding anymore. He actually felt no numbness or pain anywhere.

He realized that he probably should get rid of the dead-weight on his body first. He nudged. "Sasuke," he called out. "Time to get up, bastard."

But Sasuke didn't stir. His breathing against Naruto's neck didn't change, so Naruto nudged harder.

"Sasuke, wake up," he said. Again, nothing. He grunted. He'd just roll Sasuke off him then. His hand went up to cup the familiar duck-butt hair but found them sticky. He lifted his fingers to his nose and the metallic smell hit him like someone threw a punch in his face. He wouldn't say he panicked precisely. He just let out a litany of "Oh, shit, shit, shit".

The cave was pitch black, so it was impossible for him to see the extent of the injury. As far as Naruto knew, it could be severe. The moron had used himself to shield Naruto from the blast after all. Naruto knew he shouldn't be angry - nothing good was going to come out of him being angry - but he was. He quickly stomped it down in favour of the task at hand. He had an Akatsuki to kill, a kage to deliver, and an injured Uchiha to deal with.

He ran his hand down Sasuke's body quickly to see if there was another obvious injury. He could tell that the Uchiha was hit by quite a number of rocks from the blast, but none of them created an open wound as large as the one to the back of his head. Naruto thanked their luck for that. That didn't mean Sasuke wasn't in need of medical attention. Naruto quickly undid his cloak and shuffled so Sasuke lay in the protection of the fabric and his wounds wouldn't get dirty.

He carefully pulled the limp body with the cloak up against him, put an arm under his friend's knees, and lifted him up. The under-anticipated weight made him stagger a little, but soon Naruto found his footing. He walked until his back hit a wall and used it to guide him to where he needed to go. Without the light, he was stumbling now and then from the rocks on the floor, but he managed to get Sasuke into the alcove safely. As safely as his injury would allow at least.

Now that Sasuke was safe, his attention turned to the Akatsuki outside. Naruto was actually quite surprised that the man didn't blast the cave in and get him already. Was it too risky, or was he too exhausted to do anything at the moment? Naruto sorely hoped it was the latter. He didn't think he had enough energy to take down a fully energized enemy. And he couldn't lose this fight. Not because he would be captured, but Gaara and Sasuke would also be in danger. Naruto didn't like the odds, but he knew it was better to kill his opponent now rather than later.

With that in mind, he stood up. One of his hands touched the wall and used it to guide his way back to the front of the cave. He concentrated his chakra onto his right hand and begin to swirl it around and around until a giant blue glow appeared. He just hoped that the structure in the back was sound enough to take the blast.

When the swirling was at maximum, Naruto punched forward. The front of the grotto was blown wide open and ten meters away stood the long-haired Akatsuki. who was quite surprised to see Naruto climbing out of the cave from on top the pile of rocks. Their eyes locked and in a split second everything was in motion.

The Akatsuki grabbed the rocks at his feet and threw them at Naruto. He dodged them by a hair's breadth before the rocks went off, making his ear ring. Naruto dodged another one that was coming his way and opened up his chakra pathways before making a mad dash at his enemy.

He knew his enemy used mainly bombs carved out of earth element material, as his right arm had borne witness. The enemy could use it for short range and long range attack, which was why he did not need any other kinds of attack at all. He also needed that ugly seal in the palm of his hand to activate the bomb. With one arm missing from his fight with Gaara, Naruto knew he had to get rid of the other in order to stop the supply of explosives. But there lay his predicament: Naruto didn't know any jutsu that could incapacitate the arm from a long range. His skill with shuriken wasn't good enough to do the damage at the right spot while both of them were moving.

Before Naruto could get close enough, a slew of explosive rocks pushed him back again. He grunted before pulling out more chakra to enhance his speed. He could feel another mind besides his own rearing, chuckling excitedly at the sight of an enemy.

_Well now, what have we here?_

Naruto didn't reply because he knew Kurama was up-to-date with everything he'd been doing anyway.

He heard a familiar chuckle from the back of his mind as the Nine-tails assessed the situation. _It looks that he has put you in a difficult situation, has he not?_

Naruto wanted to roll his eyes. _Tell me something I don't know._

_Touchy, aren't we? Are you truly so concerned?_

Naruto growled back.

_Calmly now. _The Kyuubi chuckled. _Contemplate notions pleasing to you... like how you desire this one to die._

_In pieces! _Naruto roared.

The Kyuubi chuckled darkly in delight. Naruto's lips pulled back into a manic grin. He could feel the hum of power in his veins, and he let himself cherish it for a moment. This was the first time he'd released so much power without the cursed seal, and it felt so, so damn good. He knew his eyes must be bleeding red at that point. He could feel the fangs already ghosting his lips.

He pooled the Kyuubi's chakra into his mouth and performed a series of hand signs fast enough for his enemy to not recognize the jutsu until the very last moment when Naruto breathed a great ball of fire out of his mouth. From behind the blaze, he performed another hand sign and two of him jumped out from behind the fireball, encircling the Akatsuki. The enemy tried to jump away, but they were right behind him, not letting him out of their circle.

That was until one of the clones suddenly stepped on a patch of rock and exploded. Naruto got momentarily distracted enough that the next thing he knew, his other clone was dispatched as well.

"Don't think I didn't prepare the playground, Jinchuuriki," said his enemy with an irritating smirk. Naruto grunted in reply.

_Requesting assistance would be prudent at this point,_ said Kurama in his amused tone. Naruto's agitation rose.

_Shut up!_ he growled. He didn't want to be in the fox's debt even when he felt like he was at a dead-end.

Kurama huffed. _Stubborn, aren't we? For one so malleable to the untried ideas of the youth, you determinedly resist the wisdom of the elder._

Naruto saw the opportunity and couldn't help gloating back, _Are you finally admitting that you're old? _The fox bristled, and Naruto smirked. Forever the vain one.

_Insolent runt!_ Kurama huffed. _Fine! Have it your way!_

_Like you even age. _Naruto replied with a roll of his eyes. He knew it was a bad idea to alienate his only ally, but Kurama got too much on his nerves sometimes, especially when he thought he could work the battlefield better than Naruto.

_That's because I can, _Kurama made an unsolicited reply. _How long would it take you to notice that scrap of metal on your back if I made no mention of it?_

Naruto blinked. He suddenly remembered the katana he had on him. He wasn't one for swords, so he hadn't thought about it. And even if he did, a normal katana wouldn't be any good if his range was still limited to two arm-lengths at best.

But _this_ was the Kusanagi...

Kurama huffed again. _You make my point admirably._ But he didn't make any further comment as Naruto reached back and unsheathed the blade. It felt like the metal started to vibrate in his hands as soon as he touched it, feeding it his chakra. A ninja with average chakra reserve would have been severely incapacitated by the draw. That was the only reason the sword was in Naruto's possession rather than someone more capable, like Suigetsu. That guy wouldn't touch an unsheathed Kusanagi with a pole.

The long-haired ninja watched him warily now, unsure of what he was doing when Naruto pointed the sword forward and simply waited. Patience was always a virtue. The three years he'd waited to kill Orochimaru taught him that. "What are you trying to pull?" the man grumbled. The stillness was definitely getting to him.

"Come closer and I'll show you," he said, allowing himself to smirk a little.

The Akatsuki laughed. "As if I'd fall for that, dumbass."

Naruto snorted. "I'll have to get over there and show you then," he said before rushing forward. The chakra in his legs burst, giving him speed that seemed to make time slow around him. In a blink of an eye, he was close enough to deliver a head blow, but the Akatsuki was fast enough to react. He jumped out of range. Just as Naruto expected.

He pushed his chakra into the sword as he twisted his wrists to make the upward cut. He held on firmly as the blade elongated and cut the enemy's arm clean off.

"FUCK!" was the only word from the ninja as he staggered back and fell. Without both his arms he couldn't balance his fall correctly and he landed rather gracelessly on the rocky floor. Without his arms, there were no more bombs. Naruto won.

"So the Kusanagi isn't common knowledge in Akatsuki then. That's a surprise," said Naruto as he walked forward, his sword ready for attack. "Then again, no one would think I have it."

Naruto only needed one look to see that the name meant nothing to the long-haired ninja. That meant he must be rather new. Naruto suspected that they wouldn't get anything much from interrogating this guy, so he raised the sword again and struck down, intending on ending it quickly. But a ninja was a ninja, arms or no arms. The Akatsuki kicked himself back in time to get out of the fatal range, but he still got a deep cut on his torso from the extending blade. Naruto was going to attack again when the clothes fell off the man, revealing a pattern of seals decorating his body.

Naruto knew then that he had made a mistake.

"Well," said the Akatsuki as he let himself fall face first to the ground, his blood pouring on the earth. "Sayonara, Jinchuuriki."

Naruto channeled all his chakra into his legs and made a run for it. He didn't know if he could get out of the blast range in time, but he wasn't going to wait around. The explosion was actually larger than Naruto thought possible. He could feel the earth shaking as the force of the blow knocked him off his feet. The heat was enough to burn the skin on his back. It was probably just seconds, but Naruto felt like he was in the fire of hell for minutes.

Once the blast was over, Naruto remained face down on the ground. His back hurt from the burn and from the chakra rushing up to heal the damage. He had always loved and loathed instant healing. It was good to be able to jump on his feet right away, but when the damage was extensive, the rush caused just as much pain as the injury did, if not more so. He was lucky he didn't blackout this time around.

He moved, and the muscles on his body ached in protest of all the abuse he'd put them through. He turned back to try to gauge what had happened and was stunned by the crater on the ground. The size was enough for a mass burial if there was a need for one. He tried to locate the body in the center of the blast but couldn't even make out anything biological by eye.

So Naruto picked up the Kusanagi and staggered back towards the cave. There was more rubble, but otherwise the cave was still standing. He made sure to thank the god carved on the statue on his way in. He didn't want to think what it would have been like for him if the cave had collapsed.

He stumbled his way to the alcove in the back and felt the strain on his body leave him when he saw that Sasuke and Gaara were okay. The blond sank down next to the raven as his hands began to shake from exhaustion and, if he was honest with himself, dread. It took Gaara, him, and Juugo - three goddamn monsters - to actually take this Akatsuki down. What about the other one? Would the combined power of Kakashi, Saya, and the InoShikaChou team be enough? What about other members of the organization? Would Naruto be able to take them all down? These people hunted jinchuuriki for gods' sake!

Naruto took a deep breath and tried to stop himself from thinking too hard. There was no good in worrying about things outside his control. He had Gaara and Sasuke to worry about. Gaara might be all right for the moment, but who knew. And Sasuke...

Sasuke was still unconscious like Naruto had left him. The bleeding had thankfully stopped. The bruises, however, were beginning to really show. Naruto was thankful that there wasn't a sign of anything broken on his friend, and that he was breathing deeply and regularly. He couldn't be sure of any internal injury or concussion and that worried him. He wished Karin were there. She would be able to tell if there was something serious going on. All Naruto could see then was Sasuke looking like he was sleeping peacefully. He had never seen Sasuke like that before. Back when he was in Team Seven, Naruto would have felt privileged if Sasuke let his guard down this much around him. Right then, the sight of a vulnerable Sasuke just made his heart ache, an ache of nostalgia that he told himself not to feel again.

So he got up and left the alcove. He still needed to find Juugo and find out what had happened to the other Akatsuki. The good thing was his body was recovering, so he was able to move rather fast back to the water reserve. It was quiet out there, not a single ripple on the surface. Naruto was jumping from rock to rock, shouting Juugo's name, before he finally spotted a mob of orange hair amidst the boulders. He didn't know what to expect until he was on top of one, looking down on Juugo curled up in a small space between two boulders. He only had his raggedy pants on, and didn't even seem to notice that Naruto was there until the blond said, "Hey."

Juugo uncurled a little and looked up. He looked just as scared as Naruto felt.

"I'm sorry," said Naruto as he jumped down in front of Juugo. The large man didn't reply right away, and it worried him. "I didn't mean to leave you like that. I just needed to take Gaara somewhere safe and... well." His voice died down when he realized that his excuses didn't make any difference. Of course, it had been necessary, but that didn't make Juugo's fear less real or less important. Juugo was afraid of his own power and Naruto had made him a promise to keep it in check. He would be breaking that promise if he wasn't around.

Juugo looked him over and asked, "Are you injured?" Naruto realized then how tattered his clothes were. He must have looked really bad for Juugo to be visibly worried.

"It's okay. I'm healed," Naruto said with a smile. "What about you?"

"I am also healed," said Juugo as he got up. He looked more relaxed now that Naruto was there. "What about the Sand Jinchuuriki and the Uchiha?"

"Well, about that," Naruto began. They headed back to the cave as Naruto filled Juugo in on what happened after the encounter on the water. They had to pass the site of the explosion, and the look on Juugo's face told Naruto how concerned he was. Maybe he was wrong to tell Juugo about nearly getting burned to a crisp in the blast. They both could heal from chakra, Naruto from the Nine-tails' and Juugo from the natural chakra he absorbed, so Naruto assumed that Juugo would understand that he wasn't in any real danger. He might have to skip the details altogether when he reported to Saya if this was the result.

The cave was as quiet as when Naruto had left. He and Juugo went to the back alcove to find that both Gaara and Sasuke were still unconscious. Naruto didn't know if he should be relieved or concerned. He wanted to know they were alright, but didn't want the distraction of having to deal with either of them. Right then he needed to figure out how to get help. There was no way the Leaf ninja would come to this place, and even if the Sand shinobi come searching for their leader here, it might take too long to find them.

He thought of the cave he'd seen Sasuke go into last evening. Naruto didn't dare go near that place because of the possibility that it was their base, but now it seemed to be their best shot. If they were lucky, there might even be a way to contact Suna from there.

"We're taking them to the Leaf's base," Naruto said. Juugo nodded. He followed Naruto's lead to the two unconscious bodies. Naruto knew it would have been faster if they all could ride on Juugo in one of his faster forms, but he didn't feel like he had the right to ask, so he just suggested that they carry them. He was about to go for Gaara when Juugo, after frowning at Sasuke, finally asked, "How extensive is his injury?"

Naruto blinked at him. "Well, I don't know," he replied. "He took a lot of hits from the rocks when the Akatsuki blasted the front of the cave in, but I honestly can't tell."

Juugo drew another breath then said, "I think you should carry him."

Naruto gave him another blink.

"You are aware of what might be wrong with him. You would know what to be careful about," he said. When put like that, Juugo's suggestion was reasonable. But Naruto knew it had more to do with Juugo's fear of his own strength rather than anything else.

"Right, then," Naruto said, then walked over to where Sasuke was lying. He secured the cloak around the raven before lifting him up, staggering a little from the weight. Juugo lifted Gaara with much more grace than Naruto did before they headed out of the cave. The sun was quite low by then. There wasn't much time, so Naruto ramped up the chakra to his legs and sped up as he led them down the stream back to the gathering place.

He watched from the corner of his eyes as Juugo followed suit, although reluctantly at first. They had been training to improve his chakra control in the hope that it would lead to the control of his rampage, but they weren't able to overcome a decade of habit yet. "You know," he began as they ran, "your chakra control has gotten a lot better. We might try walking on water some time."

Juugo turned briefly to him. "I am not able to complete all the exercises yet," he said, a bit surprised.

Naruto smiled. He had been through those exercises with Saya when he was training the handless jutsu. He knew how impossible they were. "Saya might not like me saying this, but you and I won't be able to complete them." Juugo looked puzzled. "We have too much influx of chakra that we can't fully control. And the point of the exercise was to have better chakra control anyway, not being able to complete all of them."

Juugo nodded. He accepted Naruto's explanation, which was perfect since they had reached their destination. They couldn't sense anyone nearby, so they began climbing the ridge. Naruto was glad that the cave wasn't already abandoned. He noticed the travel packs and all the little things left behind in the haste of their chase. He also noticed a medical grinder in one corner, indicating that they at least had one medical ninja. Against his better judgment, he hoped they would be back soon.

He put Sasuke down close to the corner with the grinder and Juugo followed him. He looked around to see if there was any way of communicating with Suna, and found a messenger bird in a cage. Saya might be able to identify its origin, but he couldn't. He didn't have a lot of choice, though. He looked around for writing equipment and paper, and wrote down his message before tying it to the bird's leg and letting it fly away, hoping against hope that it would get help in time.

Satisfied that their job was done, he turned to Juugo. "Let's get out of here." Juugo nodded and followed him out of the cave.

/***/

It was a long, tiring fight under the heat of the unforgiving sun, but they were able to defeat the puppet master at last. Saya was certain he was dead, because she put her spear through the last human part of Sasori of the Red Sand herself. She stood there, holding her spear firmly, until all the dust settled and no movement was seen, before pulling it back and letting the body fell.

The fight was just as bad as she expected without power strikers like Naruto or Juugo on their team. Suigetsu was nearly out of commission from the heat and the meaty boy Akimichi Chouji was out from poison. The only one that was close in being a power player was the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. However, they needed his Sharingan to predict the movement. The blonde girl Yamanaka Ino relayed it to Saya and the pineapple head Nara Shikamaru. The guy wasn't a striker either, but his ability to control movements through shadow was invaluable. Saya was saved many times by his timely intervention, either by him controlling her or controlling the puppets around her.

She jumped away from the body towards the others. They looked like they wanted to collapse at that point. Only Karin was running around, looking everyone over just in case some of them got seriously injured. Hatake and Akimichi were completely out of commission. Apparently the Sharingan drained so much chakra that he couldn't even stand afterward.

It would have been great to let them rest, but the sun was getting low, and they still did not know what had happened to Naruto. So she said, "We have to move." Karin protested, but Suigetsu reminded her that the night was coming and they needed shelter for the injured. For once, the two of them were in agreement. They began helping Akimichi up on his feet, and Saya's eyes fell on the older jounin lying on the sand. She asked, "Can you get up?"

Hatake shook his head. Saya sighed. So she had to carry him on top of everything, too.

"Suigetsu, help the lady with her friend, won't you?" she said as the blonde girl took her place beside her chubby friend. Nara was about to protest but she waved him over. "Could you give me a hand with him?" she asked.

Throwing a glance to his mostly unconscious friend then over to them, the man just muttered, "Bothersome," before coming over.

"Do you guys have a way to contact Suna?" she asked him.

"We do, but not from here. We have a way from our base in the oasis," replied Nara as they pulled Hatake on his feet, each of his arms over their shoulders.

At least the Leaf ninja were in a good enough state to wait for Suna's help. "Then let's get moving before the sun sets," she said.

Nara snorted. "Last I checked, you're not my mission commander, lady." He paused. "At first, I supposed you were from Sound, but you and your friends don't wear the headbands and your techniques could probably rival that of a jounin. So who are you? Why are you here? And most importantly: what are you to Naruto?"

Saya lifted an eyebrow. This one was fast all right, even when exhausted. He was very driven to know about Naruto, so Saya supposed he was a friend. That would explain why Naruto panicked last night when he told her that there were Leaf shinobi camping out in the oasis.

But before Saya could formulate an answer, Suigetsu barged in from afar, "Shut up, Pineapple. Those are none of your business. Be grateful we're here to help at all."

"Suigetsu!" Karin shouted. She pushed her glasses up and went into her lecture mode. "They helped _us,_ too. Be nice, wouldn't you? It's not like you could have taken down that Akatsuki if you tried."

"Oh, shut it, Karin. You just want to be in the good books with Sasuke's _friends,_" Suigetsu countered.

Karin looked confounded. "How many times do I have to tell you that I have no interest in Uchiha Sasuke!"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Could have fooled me," he grinned.

With that Karin's arm pulled back and punched Suigetsu across the face. He staggered back and nearly dropped Akimichi. They looked about to start a catfight, and Saya really wasn't in the mood to deal with their childishness. "Enough already! We don't know what's going on in the oasis yet. Don't let your guards down!" she yelled at them. They started and, from the look on their faces, suddenly remembered that this was not over yet and that they still needed to find Naruto and Juugo. They got back to what they were doing, and were walking again in no time.

Saya heard a chuckle from beside her and found Hatake a bit more conscious than before. "I wish I had that kind of control over my students," he said tiredly.

Saya lifted her eyebrows. "I'm not their teacher," she replied. It was true, officially at least, because most of them weren't even officially ninja. Naruto and herself were the only two. Karin and Suigetsu were both considered dead by their former villages. Juugo was never trained in the first place.

But she was met with an identical lift of eyebrows from both Hatake and Nara. "Oh?" said Hatake. He waited for her to go on.

"I'm just a genin," she said, "I don't believe a genin could be an instructor in any hidden village."

"You mean any _official_ hidden village," Hatake countered, "and Shikamaru was right, your ability is jounin level," he said, like he was talking about what a nice day it was. "Are you Naruto's instructor?"

Saya could feel how curious he was, and she couldn't help asking back, "Were you his?"

She was surprised by the sudden sadness in his eyes just seconds before he looked away. However, she wasn't surprised by the answer: "Yes, I was."

For a moment, she felt sorry for him. It was clear that Naruto had meant something to him once upon a time, and probably still meant something to him now. Naruto, however, never talked about him, never mentioned that his instructor was the Copy Ninja himself. She wondered if something drastic happened between them before he left. And maybe this was the time to find out. "Why did Naruto leave Konoha?"

Hatake looked back at her in surprise. "He didn't tell you?"

She shook her head. "No, he didn't like talking about the past."

There was another pause of uncomfortable silence. Even Nara, who was cool-headed the entire fight, suddenly seemed agitated. He looked to Hatake as if to ask what he should do. "That is a rather long story," the older jounin said at last. "I will answer your question if you will answer mine."

Saya had to commend the man on his composure. He was trying to get an upper-hand even as they were threading emotionally charged territory. "What's your question?" she asked.

And Hatake did not mince word. "I heard a rumour that Orochimaru is dead," he said. Saya heard simultaneous gasps from Karin and Suigetsu, but she didn't react. "What does this mean for Naruto now? Is he... What does he intend to do?"

Saya could hear hopefulness in his voice. She knew it might be cruel, but she needed to set him straight. Hope, after all, could be such a traitorous thing. "Even if the rumour is true, I'm sure you already know that he won't go back," she said. "I cannot tell you more than that."

Nara was about to interrogate her as well when Karin notified them that Sand shinobi were coming their way. Saya had to let go of Hatake and told her team to leave. They were close enough to the oasis that the Leaf ninja should be fine on their own with help from Suna shinobi. It would be best that the Scums did not get tangled in the business between the two hidden villages.

Out of habit, she charged Nara with taking care of his team. The younger ninja promptly reminded her that she wasn't his mission commander and said, "Please take care of Naruto."

She was stunned but nodded anyway. They were about to head out when Hatake shouted after her, "You didn't give us your name yet."

She paused. Her first instinct was not to identify herself but found that there was no real harm in doing so. She was never in any bingo book.

Without a last name or a clan affiliation, her name basically meant nothing in the shinobi circle. So she replied, "I am Saya. Saya of the Scums," and with that they disappeared towards the oasis.

/***/

End Chapter 25

**A/N:**

** nekomode **Ah, Kakashi. You win some, you lose some, I guess. I like your analysis of the fight, especially as pertains to Naruto. Yes, if Suigetsu had been after Deidara, it would have been easier for Naruto's team. I don't think Suigetsu would be good with poison, though. The moment he changed to water, the poison would spread everywhere. I'm sure Sasuke wanted to whack him more than once.

"Ah, their violent foreplay is so cute..."-If only they know that violence has always been their foreplay...

"Congrats, you'll be in for some deep shit in the foreseeable future."-That's truer that you realize. I assure you.

Sasuke's body probably just moves on its own the very same way it did in Wave Country. Something never change, does it? And thanks for reading as always. :D

** christinetjorel davycrockett100 ZyiareHellsing **Thanks. XD

** Reign Of Sorrow **Oh, the joy of getting the readers swearing. *Grin*

** AnimeGirl80 **gracias :D

** guest **Thanks. I hope this chapter justifies the cliff-hanger.

** Mamori-sama **You are so kind. I'm glad it's worth the wait, because we'll be waiting for a while yet before anything really happened between these two. Also, I'm glad that my babbling is actually useful for you in some way. I've been on the reader side for a long time, so, yeah, I understand the frustration of waiting for an update. I know it doesn't help much if the update is that the story is abandoned, but at least there's a closure. I can understand how it happened, though. Writing is hard work, and fanfiction are mostly not planned through. (Mine isn't, at least. And you can see that from the list of unfinished works I have.) A way to keep them going is to comment. So don't forget to leave a hello to your favorite authors once in a while.

I agree with you that Rookie Nines characters were never were expounded in a meaningful way... except maybe Shikamaru but that's about it. I might not go into so much detail, but I'll try to leave crumbs where I can. The change in fight scenes are precisely because I found the original rather dull at times. (Then again, my kind of fight scenes are in Rurouni Kenshin, Mugen no Juunin, and Shaw Brothers' films. Physical, gritty, and dramatic, I guess.)

Thank you for reading and commenting. I will try my best not to fall off the face of the earth.


	26. Chapter 26: Dream a Little Dream of Me

**A/N:** Okay guys, this is a very long note, **but please do read this before you proceed.** Because this chapter is going to be the first that **contains sexual content**, we need to talk about the warning system, and why I decide to include sex scenes in my story.

Actually, the reason is quite simple: sex is a part of a romantic relationship, unless you and your partner are asexual. If you have read my story to this point, you'd already know this story doesn't focus on sex. The previous 25 chapters should be a testament to that. I only include the scenes as needed.

But I understand that not all of you want to read the saucy stuffs. That's why I have **the warning system** to help you avoid them. I try to make it least disruptive to your reading experience, but it's just my opinion at this point. So please tell me if it works or not. **The first warning** will be at the beginning of the scene where the sexual content resides. That is, instead of

[Scene1]

/***/

[Scene2]

you will get

[Scene1]

**/*/Next scene contains sexual content/*/**

[Scene2]

There might actually be less than 10% of the text in that scene that are relevant to the warning, but this will give you a heads-up for **the second warning**: the === brackets. These guys go before and after the relevant paragraphs. So if you don't want to read the scene, look for this and scroll until you see another === . Don't read anything in between. I might put the bracket well before and after the sexy part if I think it makes the transition smoother.

So, the last thing we need to talk about is **what is sexual content**. Since I'm the author, I'll start with my definition: **anything beyond kissing is considered sexual**. That means I will not warn for sexual content if two characters are just kissing in that chapter. There will be kissing outside the === brackets. But anything like groping, grinding, hands being in compromising places, are warned. I use the same definition for both hetero- and homosexual scenes.

Just in case someone misses the warning in the summary and haven't figured it out yet: this is a NaruSasu/SasuNaru story. That means there will be yaoi. There will boy kissing boys in (much) later chapters. If you don't want to see more than kissing, please look for the brackets and skip. If you don't want to see the kisses, I would have to ask you to leave.

Thank you for reading this very long note, and being understanding about it. Talk to me if you have any concern. I'd prefer you put it in the review so it's public and people who have the same concern can partake in the discussion. But if you'd rather pm me, that's fine too. Be warned that I might put it up in public later if I think it is important to discuss.

So, are we all good?

As for this chapter, there is actually an additional warning: violence and gore. It overlaps the sex scene, so they're all bracketed together. Don't look at it if you think it's going to disturb you.

Like always, this chapter is made marvelous by Ashimodo.

**Chapter 26: Dream a Little Dream of Me**

_Sasuke! Sasuke. Get up, Bastard._

But Sasuke was cocooned in a soft warm bed. He didn't want to wake up. Not even to shut the thirteen-year-old Naruto up.

_Hey, how long are you going to lie there for? Didn't you want to come after me?_

_But you're already here,_ Sasuke's mind supplied. He tried to reach to where he heard the Dope's voice, but Naruto avoided his grasp.

_Don't be stupid, Sasuke. You know I'm not really here. I'm out there somewhere, and you have to wake up if you want to find me._

_But I found you. Why did you leave again?_

_I can't tell you. You have to wake up and come ask me for real, Sasuke._

Sasuke could feel Naruto fading away, and he instinctively tried to go after him, but his body was too heavy to move. His arm wasn't long enough to reach for the blond boy. He called out.

"Naru...to..."

His throat suddenly felt too dry and he coughed. The force made his body curl in and he could feel his muscles ache in protest. He tried to open his eyes, but the room was too bright. He had to shut them before trying again.

The first thing he saw was a glass of water and a straw. Sasuke lifted his hands and grabbed it. He thanked his luck that his arms were working fine. "Slowly," said a voice from his side. He turned and there was Gaara in a hospital gown looking like he just got out of bed. The sand ninja simply stared at Sasuke until the raven finished his drink. Satisfied that his assistance was no longer needed, Gaara walked back to his bed, and picked up a scroll he'd left there.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked. The Kazekage had clearly recovered, but he seemed content to lounge around.

Gaara didn't look at him when he replied, "Sakura insisted that I take at least another day of rest. I do not want to face the consequence of not obeying her."

Sasuke stared.

Gaara looked at him after a lack of reply. "What?"

"You listen to Sakura now."

"She is a friend," Gaara said. "And she means well, even when she is threatening. "Sasuke blinked again. Sakura had been threatening to the Sand Jinchuuriki? "As for you, you are to take two more days of bed rest. She has to monitor your concussion."

Concussion. Sasuke ran his hand through his hair as he tried to remember what happened. He could vaguely recall an explosion...and Naruto's blue eyes. Then there was nothing. He could only surmise that the Akatsuki was defeated since Gaara was safe and sound, but what about his friend?

"Where's Naruto?" he asked.

Gaara looked at him and shook his head.

Sasuke felt like the world had collapsed on him. The explosion... Naruto... He didn't... "Moron," he muttered and got out of bed. But before he could go very far, Gaara stopped him.

"What I meant was I don't know what happened to him," said the sand ninja. "They found both of us at Leaf's base. Since you sustained a head injury, they decided to bring us to Suna instead of pursuing whoever saved us." For a moment, Sasuke didn't know how to process what he was just told. He just stood there, staring at Gaara as the redhead let go of him and motioned to the bedside table. "That cloak was wrapped around you when we were found."

Sasuke needed only one look at the dark red cloak folded neatly on the bedside table to know that it was Naruto's, the burns giving it away. Somehow, he knew Naruto was safe. His friend had managed to defeat the Akatsuki and disappear, again, turning his back on Sasuke like he always did.

And with each time it happened, Sasuke felt like a knife in his chest lodged a little deeper into his heart.

He turned back and found Gaara staring at him. "It was his," he said, replying to an unasked question.

The sand ninja nodded. He still look thoughtfully at the cloak. "I don't think he hates you. He wouldn't have tried to protect you if he does."

Sasuke understood that Gaara was trying to make him feel better, but even if it was true, Sasuke knew there was still a big difference between Naruto not hating him and not running away from him anymore. For a moment when they bantered in the shrine, he thought everything was back to normal. Everything between them felt normal, but apparently Sasuke wasn't close to getting Naruto home at all.

Next time, Sasuke told himself. A part of him was afraid next time might be too late.

**/*/Next scene contains sexual content/*/**

_Naruto became aware of his surroundings when he heard the door crack open. His hand went to the bedside lamp and a warm orange glow filled the room. He looked to the door and there was a slim figure in a loose white kimono smiling at him._

_"Sorry for waking you up, Naru-kun," she said, brushing her hair over her ear. Part of the dark lock slipped back down her pale white cheek to frame her delicate face. _

_Naruto's face softened. "It's okay, Yu-chan," he said and sat up. "What's the matter? You can't sleep?"_

_She shook her head. "It's just... It's been two weeks," she said, smiling shyly. "I've missed you."_

_Naruto swore he was melting right into the bed. "C'mere," he said, pulling back his blanket and moving over so there was enough space for her. Yu-chan's smile widened as she crawled up the bed and slid under the blanket beside him._

_"Sorry," she whispered, laying her head next to his. Her arm comfortably rested on his stomach as she curled against his side. "I know you just got back from a mission and you're probably tired."_

_"Don't apologize," Naruto said, nuzzling into her cheek. "I've missed you, too, you know."_

_Naruto could feel her smile against his cheek. "Sweet talker," she muttered. Naruto chuckled. After a moment of not knowing what to do with the placement of their arms, they shifted until they were both on their sides facing each other. "Is it okay if I watch you sleep?" she asked as she ran her finger across his whisker marks. "I know you said it kind of creeps you out, but-"_

_"If I can watch you, too, I'm fine with that," Naruto said with a wide grin._

_She frowned. "You should rest, though." Her eyes suddenly left his face. "And, I mean, I'm not pretty to look at."_

_That wasn't true. Yu-chan was the prettiest girl Naruto had met. Or maybe his opinion was rightfully skewed because Yu-chan was with him. She was pretty to him even as bones started to protrude and her skin began to lack the healthy shine. Her hair was falling more now, but Naruto didn't mind them on his pillows. Naruto loved the cover of the night because he didn't have to see all the details of her slowly and painfully fading away in front of him._

_"Yu-chan is the prettiest to me," he said with conviction. "Will always be the prettiest."_

_She looked at him like she was about to cry, and the only thing Naruto could do was giving her a goofy grin, trying to figure out something to say to cheer her up. But before he could say anything, she launched herself at him, her arm wrapped around his waist as she buried her face into his chest._

_"You always say that," she said, "but you never want me."_

_Her words cut into his heart like a knife even as her voice held no accusation. They both knew why. Karin had made a point of warning both of them together. Yu-chan's body was weakening with every experiment she had undergone, and was not able to handle any strenuous activity. Yu-chan didn't say anything then, but the squeeze on his hand and the look on her face told him that she wasn't deterred. She didn't care if she would die. She had always known that she was going to die young, and she would rather die with him than in an experimental chamber._

_For Naruto, however..._

_"We can't," he said firmly even as his fifteen-year-old body began to react to hers, to her hand running tantalizingly on the waistband of his pyjamas. "You can't take it. Karin told us that, right?"_

_"But I'm not going to get any better," she said into his chest, "or prettier, or younger." He felt her nails dragging on his skin and he shuddered. "I'm going to die, Naru. Is it too much to ask that I die happy?"_

_Naruto drew a ragged breath. This was wrong. He shouldn't want this, not something that could gravely harm Yu-chan, not something that was going to kill her. And yet... and yet..._

_"Please, Naruto," she pleaded. And Naruto made the mistake of looking at her, into her fathomless dark eyes filled with despair, lust, and love. _

_"Make me yours."_

_/===/_

_Naruto snapped. He pushed her on her back and pulled apart her kimono, almost tearing the garment that had kept her away from him. He devoured her mouth, her throat, her breasts, wanting to taste everything, to touch everything. Yu-chan's legs spread wide for him, welcoming him as he slid into the tight heat. He moved and she moaned. Her arms and legs encircled him like she never wanted to let him go. Every surge of her hips took Naruto closer to the edge. He just wished he could take her to the end before her body gave out, before she had to leave him._

_"Naruto!" she screamed and pleaded with the very same breath, baring her neck. Naruto could almost see the veins underneath her pale skin and the blood pulsing in it. His throat suddenly went dry at the sight. He knew what she wanted and the animalistic part in him sang at the offering. He bent down and bit. His fangs cut deep, and the blood flooded his mouth. Yu-chan's blood: sweet and delicious and his. For a moment, he thought they could die together like this, him choking on her sweet elixir. Her body constricted as she cried his name in ecstasy, taking Naruto right over the edge with her._

_Then the blood stopped flowing. Naruto didn't know how much he drank. He didn't care. He knew Yu-chan meant for him to have everything, every last of the chakra that resided in her blood. She had said so before, had tempted him with the sweetness of that liquid ruby on the soft petal of her lips. Now Naruto had done it. He had given her everything she wanted, even the death she wanted._

_Her body was beginning to cool and still. Naruto lapped the last of the blood from her throat as warm tears ran down his face. He pushed himself up, intended to kiss her one last time. But when he looked down at the body underneath him, he was met with a pair of dead pin-wheeled eyes on a pale elegant face just like hers. But that wasn't her face. It was..._

_Naruto screamed._

_/===/_

He jolted up with a silent shout on his lips. The room was quiet except for the snores of his teammates. The horizon was just beginning to glow and the birds were only starting to sing. Everything was normal. Everything was right. But Naruto felt utterly, utterly sick. He got out of his futon and out of the room, down the hall towards the lodge's shared restroom as fast and as quietly as he could. Once the door was closed, his knees gave out and he began retching into the toilet bowl. Nothing really came out but bile, but somehow he still felt like his stomach was full of blood, and he had to get every last ounce of it out of his system.

He didn't know if it was five minutes, fifteen minutes, or half an hour before he stopped. His body no longer had enough strength to stand up, so he sat there on the restroom floor with his back against the wall, shaking slightly from the ordeal. It wasn't the first time he'd dreamed of her, but it hadn't been this intense for a long time. He'd thought he had it under control when they finally left Oto, but it was back with a vengeance. He shook his head weakly, trying to get the last image out of his mind, trying to forget the red pin-wheeled eyes staring up from the corpse underneath him.

He didn't know why his mind put Sasuke there, cold, bloodied, and violated. His body shook again just remembering it.

He had no idea how long he sat there, staring blankly at the tiles on the far wall before the door cracked open. He turned and it was Karin standing there looking like she wanted to hug him and berate him, but couldn't decide which one to do first. She said, "This is getting old," then walked in, shut the door, locked it, and sat down with him in the vomit-smelling little room.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied.

Karin sighed. "It's been a year now, Naruto. If you keep having episodes like this, I can't overlook it anymore."

Naruto gasped dramatically. "You're going to tell everyone I'm pregnant?" He wasn't prepared for Karin to actually hit him on the head.

"Don't you joke about this!" she snarled. There was no tease on her face. "I don't know what she did to your head, but you can't undo it alone. Naruto, you need help. You have to tell us what's going on."

"She didn't do _anything_ to me," he growled back. "Stop saying it like it's her fault!"

Karin threw her hands up in the air like she wanted to punch the sky. "You stubborn little... You started this pattern right after she died, and you're telling me this has nothing to do with her?"

Naruto didn't reply.

Karin sighed. She was exasperated, but not giving up yet. "Stubbornness is an Uzumaki trait, I should've known. You never listen to anything I say about her anyway." With that, she got up. "Clean up and come back, alright? I don't think anyone noticed, so just act normal and you should be fine." She paused. "I didn't tell you this before and maybe I should have. I was very proud that you never gave in to her."

At that Karin unlocked the door and walked out. Naruto took another minute before cleaning up and following her back to their shared room.

His teammates were awake at that point, maybe except for Suigetsu, for whom travelling the desert had hit the hardest. He was still all bleary eyes when Naruto walked in. It had been four days now since they were back to civilization - as Suigetsu put it - so the excuse was going to expire soon.

"Why are you up so early?" Suigetsu asked with a yawn.

Naruto promptly pulled out the underwear from his pocket and lifted his eyebrow.

"Geez, Naruto! No one wants to see the graphic evidence first thing in the morning!" Karin shouted a little too loudly. Her face was beet red and Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, c'mon, Karin. You've worked with male test subjects. You know about morning wood," said Naruto, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Karin made a noise of utter disgust before Suigetsu chirped in, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if it was Sasuke-kun's."

"Oh, for the love of gods, Suigetsu! If you mention him one more time-"

A loud bang stopped Karin from finishing her sentence and Suigetsu from formulating a comeback. They all looked over and there was Saya at the low writing desk, looking unimpressed and not quite fully awake. Her fist set firmly and innocuously on the surface of the desk.

They all fell silent and Saya said, "Thank you" before looking over to Naruto. "Do we need to buy more clothes for you since you've been going through them so fast?"

Naruto felt like a deer caught in a headlight. "I can wash this. Just replacing the ones that got torn is fine," he said.

She nodded. "Good, because I have bad news for you." She turned around and grabbed a little notebook from the desk and turned it to them. "We need cash."

Naruto's eyes quickly went to the number at the bottom of the page and realized that Saya was right. There wasn't enough to get far out of Wind Country even if they were stringy about it. That meant they had to work. The hunt would have to wait.

/***/

"So we didn't get to see him after all," said Chouji after a long sigh. He was still in bed recovering from the poison. He was lucky most of the poison was drawn out quickly, so he wasn't at any point in grave danger. Sakura's concoction helped cleanse the remaining compound from his system. She was told that she had a redhead ninja from Naruto's team to thank for her friend's safe return.

Naruto's team...

To Sakura, Naruto was always a part of her team. He was family. And she wanted to think that although he had deserted the village, there was still some connection between them. That didn't seem to be the case from what she had heard from Ino. He didn't acknowledge them once aside from the initial warning to get out of his way. Sakura wanted to think that it was because they were in the middle of a fight, that he was in a hurry chasing after Gaara, but a part of her thought that he might have cut ties with them and moved on.

She wondered if he still remembered her. Had she became just a shadow in his past now, a girl who was his first crush but nothing more to speak about?

Her expression must have changed because Chouji suddenly said, "Don't be so gloomy about it, Sakura. We'll get him next time." He gave her a wide smile. "We'll give him the InoShikaChou treatment. He won't know what hit him until he's back in Konoha."

Sakura laughed at the mental image. That would be funny, but she knew it was very unlikely to happen that way. It would take more than mere brute force to get Naruto home, especially now that he was much more powerful than he used to be. She had hoped that Sasuke could do it. After all, he was the closest to the blond before. But Sasuke had met him twice, and twice Naruto got away.

She signed off Chouji's chart and hung it back at the end of his bed, intending to chat with him a bit more before going to check on Sasuke. But Ino came running right in. "Sakura!" she shouted, "Gaara and Sasuke are duking it off on the roof!"

Sakura didn't change her facial expression, but she really wanted to kill them.

She and Ino got up to the roof in record time to the sight of Sasuke going at the Kazekage for all his worth. His attacks were blocked by the sands automatically protecting Gaara. She could tell that they weren't trying to kill each other, or they wouldn't be limiting themselves to taijutsu. Sasuke would be blaring his Chidori and Gaara his Sand Prison. But she had told them to take bed rest. Was it _that_ hard to understand?

So as both of them jumped away and Sasuke mounting his next attack, Sakura ran in. She caught Sasuke's wrist mid attack and threw him back. She span around and could have slapped Gaara if not for the sand blocking her hand. The Kazekage's eyes went wide in both recognition and surprise, before he lowered his gaze and pressed his lips together as if to apologize.

Sakura, satisfied that Gaara got the message, turned back to a bewildered Sasuke. "You," she said, pointing her finger at him. "If not for the fact that you already have a concussion, I would've slapped you."

Sasuke's expression became that of an indignant, overgrown child. Sakura wanted to rolled her eyes, but Gaara interrupted her. "We were just having a friendly spar, Sakura. The sand was doing most of the work for me, and Sasuke needed to get his frustration out."

"Against medical order," she countered.

"It's this or him terrorizing the nurses," said Gaara.

"I haven't done anything," Sasuke countered. "And you were the one who came up with this whole idea."

"You were close to," replied Gaara calmly even as Sasuke looked like he wanted to blow something up. "Sadness and anger sometimes come hand-in-hand, especially with people like us whose aggression is the primary outlet of our emotions."

Sakura turned to Gaara in surprise. She knew the Kazekage had been working hard in order to relate to people, and even more so to understand himself. Gaara struggled with emotional control partly because of Shukaku but mostly because of his childhood. He wasn't treated like a child. He was treated like a tool of destruction. Gaara used to channel everything into aggression because that was how he was taught. She had never thought that Sasuke might be the same.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke replied. The coldness in his voice was the dead give away that Gaara might be on the right track, even if Sasuke was not fully conscious about it.

"Your eyes were sad when you saw the cloak," continued Gaara. "It reminds you that you have lost him. Then you try to rationalize that sadness, and you see nothing but pain. You become angry because of that pain."

Sasuke let out a 'Tch'. "You don't know what I think or feel," he countered.

Gaara wasn't fazed even when Sasuke seemed quite ready to take him down. "You're forgiven to think that, but like you, I have lost someone important to me as well."

Sakura knew instantly that Gaara was talking about Yashamaru. He had made vague references in her presence before, but at no point did he tell her what had happened. What she knew, she knew from Kankurou. He was not a witness to what went on, but he had been by Gaara's side in the aftermath. He had known how being betrayed had affected the Sand Jinchuuriki. Yashamaru's death changed Gaara into a heartless soul, much like how Sasuke was when they first became teammates.

And maybe that was why he never uttered a word to Sakura. Her warm and loving childhood set her too far apart from her friends to truly share their pain.

"There were many assassination attempts on my life when I was a child. On one occasion, my father, the Fourth Kazekage, gave the order to my uncle," Gaara began calmly, too calmly in Sakura's opinion. "I wasn't surprised by my father's involvement, to be honest, but Yashamaru, he had been nothing but loving to me." He paused. "I only learned then that it was all a lie. Yashamaru hated me for killing my mother, and so he took the mission from my father."

Sakura could only stare at the Kazekage, not knowing how to respond. A part of her wanted to scream at him that he wasn't his mother's killer. She knew from Kankurou that their mother died giving birth, so it was hardly Gaara's fault. But she could see why after many years of twisted whispers, Gaara's perspective would be warped. Another part of her wanted to hug him until she was sure that Gaara understood that absolutely no one else thought of him that way.

"I hated love," said Gaara levelly, as if what he just said did not stir any emotion inside him, "because love is what Yashamaru taught me. I should have hated him, but it was his lie that I hated more." He paused for a moment to gather himself. "The truth is I don't hate Yashamaru. I never did."

Sasuke frowned.

"I love him still," said Gaara as he reached up to touch the scar on his forehead. The word 'love' etched there was the embodiment of the conflicting emotions. His voice was a whisper, but Sakura could hear every emotion in it. "I was in pain, a pain I didn't know how to cope with, so I chose hatred. It was the only thing I had known, so it was the only thing I could resort to."

She didn't know then what to say or do. Sasuke didn't seem to know what to do either. He just stood there watching as Gaara regained his composure.

"I don't claim I know exactly what goes on in your mind, Uchiha," said Gaara. "But don't let that pain or anger fester. The more time you spend alone in your head, the more it will become like a disease."

Sasuke clearly wanted to say something in reply, but he ended up staying silent. The emotion in that moment was too raw and too much to process all at once. The one to break the uncomfortable atmosphere was Ino, who stepped into the group with an apologetic smile. "Ah, sorry to interrupt here, but I think we're almost at dinner time," she said.

Sakura snapped out of her stupor and shook her head. She was their friend, but she was their doctor as well. "Sasuke-kun," she said as she turned to the raven, "you have medication to take before dinner. The nurse should be getting that for you soon. You should go back to your bed."

Sasuke replied with a 'Hn'. Ino volunteered to walk him back and began dragging him over to the door immediately. A part of Sakura was afraid her best friend was annoying her teammate, but Sasuke followed her out without much fuss. Sakura could only guess that he might have been grateful for Ino literally dragging him out of an awkward situation. She sighed, and turned to the other stubborn patient. "You should get back to bed too," she said. Gaara nodded. He didn't say anything as they began walking at a sedated pace towards the door.

"I... um... I'm sorry about Yashamaru," Sakura said once she finally worked up the courage. She knew it was lame, a phrase used more as a common courtesy than anything else, but there was nothing else for Sakura to use, nothing else that truly fitted her feeling. What happened between Gaara and Yashamaru, all the lies and betrayal, shouldn't have happened to anybody. But there was nothing there that she could do, aside from being the friend that she was. "If you want to talk to someone about it - beside Kankurou and Temari, that is - you know you can talk to me, right?"

Gaara looked at her with his eyes a little wider than usual. "Thank you," he said. "I truly appreciate your offer."

There was a shyness about him when he said it that made Sakura smile. "That's what friends are for, Gaara," she said. "Get use to it."

Gaara blinked, then slowly smiled back.

/***/

End of Chapter 26

**A/N:** And I quietly await the shit storm about Naruto's ex-girlfriend to blow over.

** Simply Hated **Aww, thank you. That's very kind of you. With lack of backing sometimes is intentional (other times I was just sloppy, but that applies mostly to the case where there's explanation already in the canon.) Thanks for reading.

** M. **Thanks. Trust me, my writing only look this good because Ashimodo never lets any mistake pass him. Otherwise, it's going to be a lot worse.

** Reign Of Sorrow **Good swearing is hearty and awesome and feeds the sadistic streak of a writer, so keep it up. :P

** Wind Strengthens Fire **If that's fluff for you, you'll probably get diabetes when I fluff out (is that even a word). I'm glad you like it. :D

** Bao **Thank you for taking your time to read and review this story. I'm glad that you feel so much for this story (however wrong that sounds). I'm looking forward to them finally getting together too, but that's going to be slow. (I think I might have redefined the timeframe for 'slow build' to be honest.) Also, please have some tissue.

** guest **Thanks for commenting! Glad to know it's worth it. And Saya is totally there because they need an adult. I mean, imagine the havoc if it was just Naruto, Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo. They're never going to get anything done.

** ZyiareHellsing **Thanks for reading!

** throatcore **I was actually a little nervous that the chapter title would give away too much, but then the song was just perfect so I can't resist. I like how you interpret Naruto there, because, yeah, Naruto is not a saint. He knows pain and hatred well, but I think he has his way of executing it. He did let lose his rage on Orochimaru after all. With that bombshell, I'm going to sideline the conversation and let you think on what it means.

With Kurama, I don't think they have a relationship that's all sparkles and sunshine (because I feel like that's Kurama making a 180 on his character, which is just no). They'll have disagreements and rough patches all the way. It was just less obvious when they have a snake to kill together.

'if only gaara and him got to talk aaaaah.' - Yep. As my mom used to say, there would be less conflict in this world if we just talk sensibly.

I think both Juugo and Naruto are terrified of it, actually, but at the same time they're the two who understands each other most in that regard. It's really refreshing that everyone wants to smack Naruto now instead of Sasuke, because he quite rightfully deserves it.


	27. Chapter 27: Never Let This Go

**A/N: **A new (breather) chapter has arrived.

No warning for this one. And this chapter wouldn't be as good without the help of Ashimodo. :)

**Chapter 27: Never Let This Go  
**

Kakashi only needed one look at the Hokage to know she wasn't happy about what had happened. Not with the mission precisely, no. They were able to save the Kazekage and gain approval from a highly influential elder in Sunagakure in one single swoop. That had to be really good in Tsunade's book. However, he did have to mention Naruto and his team in the report, and that seemed to be the part that upset her the most.

"So he has gone rogue," she said finally, her shoulders sagging a little. "The other Kage are not going to like this."

Kakashi nodded. He wasn't very affluent in the politics between hidden villages, but he could see why absolutely no one would be comfortable knowing that a jinchuuriki was running wild. As the Kage of the former village of the said jinchuuriki, Tsunade-sama would be put under pressure to do something.

"On the bright side, I don't think the Kazekage will be so heavy-handed on Naruto," Kakashi said. He suspected that not only because Naruto had saved Gaara, but also because Gaara knew Naruto as a human being with a familiar burden, not simply the vessel of a tailed beast.

The Hokage snorted as she poured more sake. "I don't question that, but Gaara's influence is not that high on the table," she said. "He is perceived as too young and naïve. I'd say they're right on the first count." She paused to sip on her sake. "Naïve, though, huh," he chuckled humorlessly. "Gaara is not naïve, that I can tell. He just wants to do things differently. Not like some old jaded ninja."

Kakashi honestly did not want to know to whom she was referring.

"I hope Naruto at least keeps a low profile for the time being," she went on. "The Kage are not the only people concerned about jinchuuriki."

Kakashi could imagine Leaf's own council in a riot after seeing the report. The council had been keeping an eye on Naruto's movements every since the Nine-tails was sealed. It was a combination of the Third's diplomatic skill and leadership that kept them placated. Losing Naruto to Orochimaru had been the biggest blow to Tsunade's position with the council. If they knew Naruto had gone rogue after Orochimaru's demise... Kakashi honestly could not predict what they would do. He just hoped the Fire Daimyo wasn't dragged into the mess.

"I am quite sure Orochimaru's death and the destruction of Sound will distract them for now," he said. "After all, no one knows what really happened yet."

Tsunade poured more sake and downed the shot quickly. Kakashi knew that despite her condemning the Snake Sannin for his deeds, at some level he was still her friend. Hearing about his death and not knowing exactly what happened had been hard for her.

"It seemed that there was no witness," Tsunade said. "The prisoner we caught didn't kill him as he first claimed. I'm willing to bet that there are dozens of former Sound shinobi making up stories about how they were the one to kill Orochimaru. And I bet you that none of them actually did it."

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. Everyone knew about Tsunade's luck in betting.

"Figuratively speaking," the Hokage amended after seeing the look on his face.

"Figuratively speaking," he echoed with a nod.

"Anyway," said Tsunade, finally putting her sake cup down, "tell me about Sasuke. Why has he been destroying training grounds again?"

Kakashi could feel the onset of a migraine. "He met Naruto," he said simply. And, honestly, it was the explanation for everything.

"I already know that," Tsunade replied with a frown. The look on her face told him that she wanted detail.

Kakashi sighed. The problem was he didn't really know what went on, either. Sasuke was on his own when he met Naruto, and the raven was tight-lipped about the meeting. Shikamaru had tried to get him to talk, but the things he would reveal were related to the mission. He knew why. Sasuke was terrible with words, and even more so if those words involved his feelings. Meeting Naruto would have conjured many feelings for Sasuke, and not all of them pleasant. The jounin had wished that the Uchiha would open up on his own, since he had done so a couple of times before when the emotions were too hard to handle alone. This time, however, Sasuke decided to cope with them differently.

So Kakashi really had to admit defeat. "What I know is in the report, Hokage-sama," he said. "He performed his duty as expected of a shinobi. There is no ground for pushing the issue."

Tsunade let out a heavy sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "You're terrible at being a teacher, aren't you Kakashi?"

He had nothing to reply.

"I'll let Jiraiya know that he needs to sort things out with his protégé," said the Hokage. He was surprised that the sannin was in the village, but then he remembered Orochimaru. Of course, Jiraiya would want news as well. "Quite frankly," she began after a pause, "that kid is too volatile to be a shinobi."

Kakashi was suddenly alarmed at the implication. "He's too good to be evoked from the rank," he countered.

The Hokage glared at him. "I know that," she said before pouring and drinking more sake. "That's why we need to get his problem sorted before something besides the training grounds gets blown up. If he is deemed unfit for duty for a reason aside from his skills, you know more than me how that's going to go down with him."

It wouldn't be pretty, that he could tell. Sasuke was born and bred a shinobi. The raven trained hard to beat the best of them. Taking that away would be equivalent to taking away his dignity, not to mention his identity. Sasuke not taking it well would be the understatement of the century.

Tsunade drank another cup of sake and her eyes glazed slightly. She looked pensive. "Time has changed, hasn't it?" she said. "Thirty years ago, destroying a training ground wouldn't have been such a big deal. Orochimaru did it once or twice when he sparred with Jiraiya. Nobody batted an eye." She snorted. "Now, everyone's really concerned about what a young, reckless chuunin is doing." Then she became silent. Kakashi knew then that she was drunk, at least more drunk than she ought to be, and sadder than she ought to be.

"Maybe they should have," Kakashi supplied after a while.

Tsunade didn't look at him. She snorted again and replied, "Maybe they should."

/***/

The sun was beginning to set when Sasuke finally depleted his chakra. He had been training pretty much all day, but all the effort had still left him feeling unsatisfied. The workout helped release his restless energy, but without a proper training partner, there was no way of gauging how much he had improved - if at all. And Sasuke wanted to be stronger, strong enough to take down someone like Orochimaru or Itachi, strong enough that Naruto wouldn't be able to get away from him again.

If he could have his way, he would be out there hunting the blond down, but he knew it was a fruitless exercise. No one knew Naruto's movements. With Orochimaru dead and Sound essentially destroyed, the blond could be in any country at that moment doing gods-knew-what. Sasuke consoled himself with the fact that it meant his friend was safe. If Konoha couldn't find him with all its allies and information networks, Akatsuki wasn't likely to. But even knowing that, he still couldn't shake off the ache in his chest when Naruto was somewhere he could not reach, could not see, could not touch.

That ache had always been there after Naruto left, a combination of loneliness, guilt, frustration, and other things Sasuke didn't know what to name. He'd been able to cope with it for three years, but after he saw Naruto, instead of feeling better, he felt worse. The ache felt more like pain with every passing day, and Sasuke didn't understand it. Once, he'd used it to drive him to train harder, to get better and stronger, but the only thing it did now was drive him to madness. Only during intense training could he forget about it and be at ease again. But as soon as he was done, it was back. The silence of the training ground only made the pain that much sharper.

He turned around and was about to leave when he spotted a familiar white-haired man standing on one ruined tree, looking around the training ground that Sasuke had just leveled. "Boy," the Toad Sannin muttered before looking down at Sasuke, "if I didn't know better I'd think someone was trying to invade Konoha again."

Sasuke let out a 'Tch'.

"In a sour mood, I see," said Jiraiya. He jumped down from the tree and walked over. "I heard from Tsunade that you've been restless. She's close to exiling you for the safety of everyone, you know."

"Let her do it then," replied Sasuke offhandedly. He knew she wouldn't, but sometimes it was a tempting thought.

Jiraiya sighed. "This is about Naruto, isn't it?" he said. Sasuke's body stiffened before he could force himself to relax. "You're predictable that way, Sasuke. All you've ever thought of in the past three years was Naruto. You only ever get upset about him."

Sasuke frowned. "I get upset about my family," he countered.

"Yes," replied the sannin, "but they haven't come up nearly as often."

He did not dignify that with a response.

Taking his silence as his defeat, Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder and steered Sasuke to a log where they could sit down. "Right. As one of your teachers, I have to sort this one out. So let's chat."

Sasuke snorted. "You teach me only when it's convenient for you, Jiraiya. That doesn't really count as being my teacher."

"Ungrateful brat!" the older man barked. "You're excellent at self-learning. That's why I tried to give you the freedom!"

Sasuke didn't buy that for one second. "Whatever. If you want to talk, then talk. Then I can send you on your way and go home," he said dismissively, not really looking at the older ninja. He knew Jiraiya wasn't really the kind to preach, so whatever he was going to say was going to be brief, which was good for Sasuke since he didn't want to sit there and listen, either.

What he wasn't prepared for was Jiraiya asking, "What happened exactly when you met Naruto?"

Sasuke replied without skipping a beat, "I found him fighting the Akatsuki who'd captured the Kazekage at the oasis, and went in to help. We took the Kazekage to a hiding place in the canyon. The Akatsuki came after us and blew up the front of the cave. I was knocked out. The next thing I knew I was in a hospital in Suna." He basically repeated the summary he had given in the report. It was the story he'd told everyone, because it was all that was relevant.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I don't want your official version, Sasuke," he said. "I want to know exactly how you met him. I want to know what went on between the two of you."

With all the commotion, it was odd that anyone would think anything significant could have happened between them. They'd squabbled and that was it, but Sasuke didn't want to mention it to anyone. That moment was his moment with Naruto, and he wanted it to remain that way.

After a long pause in which Sasuke said nothing. Jiraiya sighed again and asked, "What is Naruto like now?"

He didn't know if Jiraiya was just trying to get him to start somewhere, or if he was genuinely interested. The Toad Sannin never spoke freely about the blond, but that didn't mean he no longer cared. "Are you going to use him as one of your characters now?" he asked flatly.

Jiraiya made a face. "No. If he's still a snotty-faced kid, he wouldn't sell."

"He isn't," Sasuke said. He could feel Jiraiya's eyes on him, urging him to go on. "He's tall, powerful, and respected, everything he ever wanted to be. He didn't have to beg for attention anymore."

The sannin was quiet for a time before he said, "Sounds to me like he's moved on."

Sasuke swallowed. He didn't want to entertain that possibility. He didn't want to think there might not be a place for him in Naruto's life any more. "If you're going to tell me to move on, you can keep it," he said. He needed to believe that he could still fix this.

But he knew Jiraiya thought otherwise. This wasn't the first time they'd had a conversation about Naruto. The older man let out a heavy sigh as he turned towards Sasuke and said, "You know my speech. You are not responsible for the choices he made. You can't carry his life as your own. If you still want to be Hokage, you have to understand this: you will fail sometimes. There isn't a single Hokage who has not made mistakes, some of them irreparable. But they keep their eyes on what matters, and move on. That is what distinguishes a great man from common folk."

Sasuke snorted. "That's just an excuse to run away and not take responsibility."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and groaned deep in his throat. "Do we really have to go over this again?"

"Until you understand that I'm not going to give up," Sasuke snapped right back and fixed the sannin with a glare. "You know my drill. I caused him pain and drove him away. It's my responsibility to bring him back."

"You were thirteen. You were hardly mature enough to understand the world as you do now," Jiraiya countered. "You of the now could have saved Naruto back then. That is true. But you only understand this because you lost him. See the paradox here?"

"Then what about 'me of the now' saving 'him of the now'?"

Jiraiya was silent then. The look on this face was the one Sasuke hated the most: frustration and skepticism. It had always seemed that in the sannin's eyes Sasuke was nothing more than a child who simply didn't understand the way the world worked. "Sasuke, we can only save the people who want to be saved. Do you think Naruto wants to be?"

Sasuke swallowed. If their interaction in the cave was anything to go by, Sasuke knew the answer was 'no'. Naruto didn't think he needed saving, not even when he was running recklessly into a fight he might not have a chance of winning. That didn't mean he didn't need someone to help him. At this rate, Sasuke was worried something was going to happen to the blond before he could see him again. And that wasn't a pleasant thought. "He's still Naruto," he replied. "He's still an idiot."

Jiraiya sighed. "You are still trying to project that kid back on him, aren't you? Even when you said yourself that he's not that kid anymore."

Sasuke didn't reply.

"Sasuke," Jiraiya said as he leaned forward, "People change. That's normal. You need to let that kid go and focus on yourself. You can't spend your life running after him."

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered. He was sure he wasn't projecting, not after their banter in the cave. Naruto, no matter how different, was still Naruto, and Sasuke still had a chance. "I'm an Uchiha. We don't give up."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Jiraiya said before shaking his head. "We might not get along, but you are still my student. I'd hate to see you get hurt, especially when it's clear that you're the only one who cares about this friendship." Sasuke's hands clenched. "You can't see straight when Naruto is involved, and someone else is bound to notice that." Jiraiya paused. "Actually, someone already has."

Sasuke frowned.

"Your stunts didn't go unnoticed, unfortunately. We'll have to put you under probation, so we can keep an eye on you, see if you'll be alright."

Sasuke's eyes pretty much bulged out of their sockets. "What?"

"The Hokage's office is going to screen the missions and read the reports about your behaviour to make sure you are in line." At that, Jiraiya stood up. "Keep it together for a few months and your probation will be lifted. Do you hear me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke jumped up to block his path. "I did nothing wrong," he growled, unable to keep the confusion and anger out of his voice. "When was this decision made? Why didn't anyone talk to me about this?"

Jiraiya's expression softened a little into something that looked like a cross between exasperation... and pity. "You're pretty oblivious, aren't you? A lot of people have tried to talk to you, but you wouldn't talk to any of them. I am the last option. It has been decided that we'll have to keep a closer watch just so you won't go off the rail more than you already have."

Sasuke stared at his teacher as his stomach began to boil with rage. He was sure that he had done his job perfectly. There were absolutely no grounds to penalize him like this. "So what? Because I went a little heavy-handed on the dummies you're going to ground me?"

"_This_," Jiraiya gestured to the space around them, littered with charred tree and broken training equipment, "is _not_ a little heavy-handed, not after you turn two other training grounds into mini-Armageddon. And you are still not talking, even now. We are worried about you, Sasuke."

"So you think I'm wrong in the head," said Sasuke. The hot anger had turned into a cold twisted lump in his stomach. "But so are you and that woman!"

There was a stretch of silence in which no one moved. Sasuke felt the satisfaction when Jiraiya's face closed off. He knew he'd hit the nail in the head. That satisfaction, however, wasn't long-lived. "Have you considered that we're concerned _precisely_ because we don't want you to be like _us_?" Jiraiya said with hurt in his eyes. Sasuke blinked, trying to get a better look, but Jiraiya had already turned away. "I have a long mission, so I won't see you for a while. Take care of yourself, and don't be stupid." And with that he was gone, as if the wind just took him. Jiraiya never did that, not unless he needed a fast getaway. Sasuke felt a lump in his throat.

He was still angry that a decision like that was made without them ever talking to him. He was angry because this meant that his missions would be limited, and he bet that they wouldn't let him get any mission involving Itachi or Naruto. Shinobi under probation also could not leave the village without supervision, not for missions or personal reasons, which meant he was trapped both literally and figuratively.

That knowledge alone was enough for Sasuke to want to destroy another training ground out of spite, but he knew better than to tempt the Hokage's wrath. Instead, he went home and showered. The water helped cool his head, but it didn't make the anguish go away. For that Sasuke turned to sake. He didn't normally drink, and whenever he did it was because Jiraiya wanted a drinking partner. Sasuke didn't like that alcohol slowed his reflexes and thinking process, but it was exactly what he needed that night. The sake burned pleasantly down his throat and into his stomach, warming him up and helping him relax even as he was mulling over the injustice of the situation with increasing incomprehension.

By the time he had downed the bottle, he felt tired and sluggish. The sake and his sore muscles finally made him sleepy. He didn't even bother to put the empty bottle or the cup away, but just walked into his bedroom. It was then that his eyes rested on a deep red cloak folded neatly on the dresser. He didn't remember why he'd decided to bring that cloak back with him. At that moment, it felt like a mistake. The emotions he tried not to feel resurfaced as he strode over to the offending garment.

He grabbed onto the shoulders and pulled it up until it completely unfolded in front of him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at it. "It's your fault, you moron," he muttered. He wished it was actually Naruto in front of him, so he could punch the blond to his satisfaction. Just glaring at the cloak really wasn't that gratifying, but this poor substitute just had to do. He threw it onto the bed. He wanted to just jump on it and punch away, but his legs weren't cooperating. His arms weren't doing any better either. He ended up crawling on top of it, sat down, and delivered a few weak punches. The incoordination of his body made him curse under his breath. He stopped. Punching something that didn't fight back wasn't satisfying anyway. By then, he was too tired to even think about how ridiculous the whole situation was. He simply lay down, not bothering to put the cloak away or crawl under the blanket.

He was about to fall asleep a few times, but the night was too chilly and the buttons and zippers were poking him. He grunted and shuffled until he was lying on top of the blanket. The cloak ended up on top of him, and Sasuke pulled it tighter around himself, letting Naruto's faint scent lure him to sleep.

/***/

End of Chapter 27

**A/N:** Sasuke, hon, you got it baaaaaaaaaad.

** Skeek622** Oops, thanks for pointing that one out. It's fixed now. I'm honestly wondering if there's been too much heartbreak in this story, because we're still a long way before it's going to get better (and it well get worse first, too).

** vampireknight11** Omg, I have a feeling that they won't be able to keep their hands off each other once we come to that. And thank you.

** Reign Of Sorrow** Not in a particularly nice way, but yes! Teehee.

** RavenPainter** Welcome to the grand armada that is NaruSasu/SasuNaru (it's way too big to be a ship, honestly). XD Good to know you've joined us. And thank you for your kind review. I really appreciate that you'd taken time to write one for me. I have the same reaction at the "End of Chapter" for many stories, so I understand what you mean.

I wonder sometimes if Naruto in this story is too broken, but I can also see why he would spiral down like that once he lost the ability to love himself. Come to think of it, I still don't know how Naruto managed to float above all the hatred towards him the way he did in the canon (not without some damage, of course). I think Sasuke knows he cares about Naruto, but he doesn't know how to and that's a way tougher question.

I hope I can still keep everyone in character, that's actually not so easy given the changes in this universe, but I'll try my best!

** Guest** They need all the hugs we can give, but they'll look really awkward when they're receiving it. (Mental image is hilarious at the moment.) And Thank you.

** davycrockett100** Thanks, bro!


	28. Chapter 28: Searching

**A/N:** Here comes another chapter, and things are heating up, but not in that way…

Nothing to warn for this chapter. And this chapter has been edited by Ashimodo. Big hands to the man.

**Chapter 28: Searching**

Sakura looked at the clock on her desk and sighed. It was getting late, and all she had done since getting back to her apartment was stare at the blank page of her report. It would have been easier if it were a mission report, even for a complicated mission like the one they'd just had, because everything would have been objective and factual. This report was also supposed to be factual, but it fundamentally wasn't, not for her, because this was her report on Sasuke to Tsunade-shishou.

Quite frankly, she was shocked by the decision to put Sasuke on probation. She had her worries about him, but none severe enough that she thought merited putting him under scrutiny. Shizune-san, the ever patient Shizune-san, said that not everybody knew Sasuke like she did and so they were reasonably concern when he - arguably one of the stronger shinobi walking the village - showed some sign of instability.

Sakura wanted to know who that 'someone' was, so she could give him or her a piece of her mind, but that wouldn't make any difference. The worst case scenario would be she was put under probation as well, so Sakura kept her lips sealed. It felt wrong to spy on someone so close to her, but she was told to just report what she'd observed during the mission and that she didn't need to pry into his private life, so she accepted.

They were assigned for a mission together with Team Kurenai. A spy was spotted secretly contacting courtiers in the Fire's court. The Fire Daimyo was understandably unhappy about the situation. The man was suspected of treason and the daimyo wanted him captured and interrogated. Team Kurenai was perfect for this since they had Kiba, Shino, and Hinata: the nose, the ears, and the eyes. The spy didn't have a chance of getting away. Sakura and Sasuke were also assigned to the mission as backups in case they needed medical support or an extra striker.

And the mission did get a little tricky when they discovered that the spy was in fact a shinobi from the former Sound. Sakura could see why he'd managed to contact people right under the daimyo's nose and retreated so effortlessly. That was also when Sasuke seemed to come to life. He and the spy had a fierce speed competition, in which the rest of the team couldn't keep up. They tracked the two down ten minutes later and found them in a patch of torn up forest. Sasuke's clothes was torn open at places but he was barely injured. The same could not be said about the spy who hang listless by the collar of his shirt. Hinata had to pry the guy out of Sasuke's hands so Sakura could look him over, and Kurenai-sensei could put him under genjutsu for further interrogation. He was roughed up pretty badly in Sakura's medical opinion. It was probably the only option considering his level of skill. But another part of her questioned whether Sasuke had gone a little too far.

They took the prisoner to the closest base to begin some basic interrogation. Kurenai led the session but the rest of the team were to observe as well. Their duty were to guard their commander in case the ally of the spy decided to break him out or if he himself tried to break out. Sakura was to assist if any medical need arose.

Sakura had been under Kurenai's genjutsu before, and she knew the woman could come up with pretty scary stuff to break her opponents. However, the ninja managed to resist her for a long time. He barely moved or twitched as she went through a series of standard interrogation genjutsu to assess the enemy's weakness.

Then suddenly the genjutsu broke. Kurenai blinked in surprised. They were all surprised. His hands were tied behind his back, so it should have been impossible for him to break out of it without assistance.

Kiba was going to say something, but Kurenai-sensei shot her hand out to silence him. Her gaze was still locked on the spy as she began another series of genjutsu. Then he broke out of it again. By then, he was sweating hard and obviously in some level of distress.

"I see," she muttered, then turned to Hinata. "Could you prevent him from doing it again?"

Sakura didn't know when Hinata began using her Byakugan, probably since the first time he broke the genjutsu without using his hands. She walked towards him and began pushing on several chakra points on his body before retreating. She gave Kurenai a nod and the session began anew.

This time, the man cried out after three genjutsu, each one more powerful than the last. It was so intense that everyone in the room forgot to breathe. Kurenai went for the fourth and the ninja began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Identify yourself," she said, still not breaking the jutsu. He gave them his name and his affiliation. He was a former Sound ninja currently working as a spy for hire in Rice Country. He would steal any information about anything for anyone.

"Who do you work for?" she asked. He said he didn't know. He was given the mission by a friend who acted as the intermediary. Kurenai pressed for the name, but the man resisted. Sakura knew he would be going through a much deeper interrogation for that.

"Who else are you working with on this mission?" His reply was that he wasn't working with anyone. This was a high-class mission. They needed to run a tight ship, so he was in it alone. Kurenai-sensei broke the genjutsu after that, and the ninja flopped forward. He was unconscious almost immediately. With what they'd gotten so far, Sakura knew he would be handed over to Ibiki-san later. She didn't want to think what kind of fate awaited the man.

They rested at the base that night, so they could travel at full speed once day broke. The chuunin took turns guarding the prisoner just in case there was someone looking for him. It was late that night when Sakura came down for her shift and found Sasuke sitting in front of the man with his Sharingan glaring into the prisoner's eyes.

She didn't know a lot about Sharingan, there wasn't much information aside from the basics in Konoha's library, so she didn't know what he was doing. She just knew it wasn't sanctioned. She quickly walked over and covered up the prisoner's eyes with her hand. Sasuke blinked once before looking up at her. Anger was cleared on his face. Sakura didn't back down, especially since the spy promptly fell unconscious.

"What do you think you were doing?" she hissed. "If Kurenai-sensei finds out-"

"I didn't hurt the prisoner," he said defensively as he got up. He was blinking rapidly because of the tension around his eyes. He must have been using his Sharingan for quite some time.

Sakura's lips thinned. "I can't believe you're this stupid," she snarled. "You're already under probation, and you have to go ahead and do something like that. You're just begging to get a session with Ibiki-san."

Sasuke wouldn't say anything. He didn't look at her, but the press of his lips told her of his defiance. She waited for him to say something, to justify his action, but he didn't. The look on his face was like he was daring her to go ahead and tell on him. Sakura couldn't believe him. Did he really think she was going to do that without listening to his reason first? Didn't he think he could confide in her at all?

Was she really that bad of a friend?

She let her head hung. "You know what, Sasuke-kun," she began. "Since you came back, I don't feel like you're here at all." When he was gone, his letters made her feel connected to him, but that connection was completely lost with the Sasuke that was in front of her, alive and breathing. It was as if they were two completely different people and Sakura couldn't reconcile them. She didn't know how.

"Tell me what you're thinking," she said. "Tell me what you were doing with the prisoner." When she looked up, she thought she saw guilt in his eyes, but it soon went away and his eyes were distant again, although softer than they were before.

"I was looking through his memories," he said.

Sakura blinked. "You can do that?" she asked.

"A bit," he said. "It would have been better if he wasn't fighting, but I needed him conscious so it couldn't be helped."

Again, he was quiet, the very reason he worried everyone and got himself a probation. Sakura couldn't help seeing the irony in it all. Back then, Sasuke's quietness was the reason girls thought he was so cool. Now it might be his downfall. "What were you looking for?" she asked. She knew that he might not divulge, but she needed to give him a chance.

A flash of emotions passed over his feature. It came and went so quickly she couldn't characterize it, but the word he spoke and way he said it told her everything she needed to know. "Naruto."

One look at his face and Sakura wanted desperately to hug him. Sasuke looked so lost and so hurt. She knew he wouldn't welcome the gesture, so she reached for his arms and squeezed them instead. "Was he there in any of the memories?" she asked gently.

"Not recently. But they were teammates once," Sasuke said with a hint of resentment. "I found a memory of them going on missions together. He was the one who taught this guy the handless jutsu."

Sakura blinked. "Handless jutsu?" she muttered. "Is that even possible?"

"You've seen it," replied Sasuke.

Yes, she had seen it. Come to think of it, it was typical of Naruto to do the impossible, wasn't it? "I guess he's the still the number one unpredictable ninja, ne?" she said with a small smile. But Sasuke didn't return her smile. If anything, he looked downright depressed, and Sakura was worried. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

He didn't reply, not right away. It took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he began, "Do you think we are wrong to try to get him back?"

What?

"These people, they respect his power," Sasuke said slowly as if dreading to talk. "They made him happy."

"No," she countered. "They are not like us-"

"No, they aren't, because they knew everything but didn't turn him away."

She felt her chest tighten.

"They don't call him nasty names. They don't ignore him. He's not nothing to them," Sasuke said as he closed his eyes. "They welcome him."

She shook her head. No, that couldn't be right. They were Sound ninja. They didn't value teamwork or friendship. They were all about power. "It's not him that they like, Sasuke. It's the Nine-tails. You couldn't possibly think Naruto can be happy because of that."

"But we know for a fact that he wasn't happy in Konoha because of the Nine-tails," Sasuke countered her rather forcefully. He was hard to read, but she could tell that he was hurt and confused, and quite understandably so. Sakura didn't know what he saw, but seeing the possibility that Naruto might have been happier without them... she couldn't accept that the possibility might even exist. Looking at Sasuke, she knew she only felt a part of his pain. He looked frustrated… and heartbroken.

Realization struck her then that maybe that was what it was. She hadn't thought of it that way, not since Sasuke had first denied that he had any feelings for Naruto. But they were thirteen back then. How could they understand what they felt? Crush could be mistaken for love, and friendship for rivalry. And Sasuke was a persistent and dedicated person, so she just thought it typical of him that he would chase after his best friend with the same persistence and dedication he had given to everything in his life. But this, his reaction to rejection and dismissal, was not something she had seen in Sasuke before, and she was certain not something a friend would show from knowing that his friend had quite possibly forgotten all about him.

But she knew she shouldn't assume. This was Sasuke. He had always been different. She touched him gently on his arm and asked, "Are you alright? You don't look well."

Sasuke didn't reply at first. His hands were clenched with the tension and his lips pressed tight. He was like a coiled snake ready to strike. For a second she was afraid he was going to burst, but then he said, "Why does it hurt?"

She frowned. "What hurts?"

He hissed back, "Everything."

Sakura felt like her heart was breaking with him. As frightful as he was in that moment, she could see a lost little boy, confused by his feelings and uncertain how to deal with them. She could see why he completely incinerated training ground after training ground. Gaara was right. Sasuke didn't know how to deal with emotions aside from channeling them through aggression. That was how he was trained from a young age, and so that was how he was.

Sakura cursed the entirety of shinobi existence inside her head before giving her friend a gentle smile, aiming to calm him down. "What made you feel that, Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

"When I saw Naruto smile at that guy in the memory. I honestly wanted to punch his face."

Sakura giggled - a rather inappropriate reaction, she thought. Sasuke looked at her, puzzled, but she waved it off. "Have you felt it before? Were there any other situations that made you feel this way?" she continued with her line of questioning.

He was quiet for a moment again, like he was considering what to tell her. Finally, he said, "When I woke up in Suna and realized that Naruto was gone...when he refused to let me look at his injuries... when he didn't want to look at me..."

They were all about Naruto, and Sakura wasn't surprised in the slightest. For Sasuke, though, it was probably a shock. "Have you thought of why that might be the case?"

She could see Sasuke clutching the fabric underneath his hands. His knuckles were nearly white. She knew this was going to be hard. She needed to pry into places in his head and his heart that she wasn't entirely sure he fully acknowledged. His answer, as expected, was, "I don't know."

Sakura was glad he admitted that out loud to her. Acceptance was the first important step, after all. "What if it was one of your admirers suddenly dismissing you, do you think it would feel the same way?" Sasuke scowled at her like she just uttered the most ridiculous statement in the known history of mankind. Sakura smiled at him. Of course not. Sasuke would probably be happy that the person left him alone for a change. "What I want to say is, if the person isn't important to you, you wouldn't have felt the pain," she said. "You want him to acknowledge you, don't you?"

Sasuke was quiet for while. He was in his own head for a time before he tentatively nodded. It was kind of ironic, really. Back in the Academy, Naruto always talked about beating Sasuke. It was Naruto that craved the acknowledgement. Now the world had turned upside down, and Sasuke was the one running after Naruto, wanting his recognition more than anything else.

Now she had to ask the question. "What do you want him to see you as, Sasuke?" Again, Sasuke looked at her like he could not comprehend what she said. She clarified, "Acknowledgement has a lot of shade to it, right? He can acknowledge you as an enemy, as a peer, or as a friend. I wanted you to acknowledge me as a potential girlfriend once, you know. That was why I always went moon-eyed at you." Sakura smiled at the memory. Her attraction to him was really innocent and naïve back then, but they were too grown up for that now.

She knew whatever Sasuke felt for Naruto would have gone beyond what she had felt for him. It would have been more difficult to put in a neatly labeled box. But at least she wanted him to think about it instead of turning a blind eye and denying its existence like he was so fond of doing three years ago.

"You don't have to answer me right now," she told him after a long silence, "but the next time you meet Naruto, you need to know this. If you don't, you might end up hurting him again." She could feel her friend stiffen at her words. It was painful for her, too, to be the only one that seemed to understand but unable to do anything about it. And like how she dealt with everything that was painful in her life, Sakura smiled. "And you can always talk to me. I'm here."

Sasuke still seemed unsure, but he nodded. He was an intellectual person, and Sakura knew he would need time to think this over, to scrutinize every memory, every feeling before coming to a conclusion. Sasuke had endured a lot in his childhood. Accepting his emotions would be difficult. She wondered if it was the same for Naruto, or if it would be worse for him.

She sent Sasuke to bed and took her shift after that. She knew she was faced with an impossible decision. She should tell Tsunade-shishou the reason behind Sasuke's outbursts, but she knew that would put a mark on Sasuke as having a potential liability. He would never be assigned to any mission involving Naruto even with his Sharingan, and that would devastate him. If she didn't tell and he was assigned to a mission involving Naruto, she honestly couldn't tell what might happen.

Sakura let her head fell to the desk with a thud. She wanted to do what was best, but in this situation it seemed that nothing good could come out of it. Still, a small part of her prayed that it would. For her friends' happiness, she prayed to the gods that it would.

/***/

Naruto knew they should probably sleep on it before starting their session, but he knew they would just lose sleep unnecessarily. As soon as the messenger broached the subject, he could feel the tension and restlessness in his teammates. The proposition was risky to say the least, so he couldn't say yes or no on his team's behalf. They needed to talk this one out, so Naruto told the messenger to meet them again in three days, the time period that should be enough to let everything sink in.

As soon as the messenger left, they rearranged the seats so that they were sitting in a circle, as was customary of the Scums when they needed to talk. Naruto sat facing Saya with Juugo on one side and Karin and Suigetsu on the other. It was unfair for two of his teammates to squeeze, he supposed, but he needed Saya, especially when his thoughts were all over the place like this.

He took a deep breath and, as he usually did, went with his gut. "You guys know I don't want to be involved in politics," he began. "I want to say no, but I know that's going to be a bad idea. We'll need them if we want to find the Akatsuki."

"Do we need to be involved in the politics?" asked Suigetsu. "I mean, can't we just take this like other jobs? Get in, get out like we usually do?"

"It's not going to be that simple," said Karin. "This general is staging a full-on rebellion against his daimyo. If he loses, we'll be in trouble with the daimyo for treason. He can behead us."

"Then we just need to win, right?" said Suigetsu. Karin looked like she wanted to slap him but refrained from doing so because Saya was pinning her with a stare.

"I don't think there is any prison me and Suigetsu can't break if we want to," said Juugo. Suigetsu smirked.

"It's not the problem with breaking out," Karin said. "I'm sure between the five of us no prison could keep us in, but then we'd be hunted. We already have Leaf and Akatsuki to worry about. I don't think making more enemies is a good idea."

"And if we are too showy, then the daimyo would most definitely involve the Five Countries," added Saya. "If we are going to take this mission, we need to know what we're doing."

"As in?" Suigetsu asked.

"We need to know we can get out and remain neutral to whoever takes control of Rice Country afterwards," Saya said.

"Sheesh, that's just not possible, is it?" replied Suigetsu. "In this kind of conflict, you have to take a side. Anyone who switches between the two is going to get killed."

"True," said Saya. She frowned in deep concentration.

"What about you, Saya?" Naruto asked. She blinked at him as if she just woke up from a dream. "You were from Rice Country. Which side do you favour personally?"

She didn't move much, but Naruto had long learned to read her. Her face was neutral but not the careful neutral she used when facing with an unpleasant situation. She probably had a mixed feeling about this and, unlike Naruto, she was going by what her head told her. "Whether the daimyo or the general wins, everything else will still be the same," she said. "The peasants will ultimately be the ones to suffer the consequence."

Naruto sighed. That put a whole new perspective to the thing that Naruto had to mull over. He honestly would prefer a hundred mundane missions over this if not for the prospect of having access to an information network. He didn't want the destruction of a country on his conscience. "If we lend a hand to one side, what's the chance of that side winning?" he asked.

"How involved are you talking about?" Saya asked.

"Say we're committed, what's the chance?"

"Close to certainty," she said. "The power of a jinchuuriki would end the conflict quickly, and you in particular are really stubborn."

"Then why are we so worried about this?" exclaimed Suigetsu.

Naruto groaned. "Because I don't want to decide the outcome of a conflict I have no interest in. I don't know this place. How do I know what's best?"

"No one knows, Naruto," said Saya. "Each of us only knows what we want."

Naruto knew Saya was right. If he asked a million people what they wanted, he would get a million answers and none of them exactly the same. In most missions, he had only one wish to grant, that of his employer, and that was easy enough to do. But in a complicated mission like this, his employer might not be the best person to grant a wish to.

Naruto knew the outcome he wanted. He also knew Saya would probably try to strangle him in his sleep for even asking this of her, "If I tell you what I want, can you figure out how to make it happen?"

Saya narrowed her eyes accusingly at him but nodded nonetheless. He knew he was being unreasonable, but Naruto didn't know what else to want. If they were going to lose sleep, he'd rather have something good come out of it.

/***/

Kakashi wasn't directly involved with capturing the spy from the former Sound, so he was actually quite surprised that Ibiki notified him that the prisoner was broken. Nothing else was communicated other than that Ibiki wanted Kakashi to come to the headquarters of the Intelligence and Interrogation Department at his earliest convenience.

So Kakashi went right after he received the message and was shown to the underground level, the torture chambers, where Ibiki was observing one of his team interrogating the spy in the adjacent room. "There you are," said the man with a smile that still occasionally terrified the Copy Ninja. "I thought it might take you a couple of days to show up, considering Hokage-sama has kept you rather busy lately."

"I'm free right now," said Kakashi as he observed the interrogation that went on. This was a nice one. They didn't use any torturing device or genjutsu since the man had been cooperating so far. But the man was still shaken somewhat if his occasional flinches were anything to go by. "How's he doing?" Kakashi asked.

"Very well, I'd say," replied Ibiki. "He's a pawn, doesn't know a lot, but we got some pretty good idea what's going on in Rice Country from him. Hokage-sama will be getting a report shortly after this, but that's not what I call you here for." Then Ibiki handed Kakashi three sheets of paper. "You might want to see this," he said.

Kakashi took the thin report out of his hand and quickly skimmed through the first page, then the second, and the third. "How many Sound shinobi have you been interrogating?"

"Quite a few," said Ibiki with his usual smile. "After Orochimaru's death, Sound became fractured. A lot of Sound ninja have gone rogue like the guy we got here, but some of them use the opportunity to gain power of their own. The claim that they killed Orochimaru seemed to be a ruse that only worked with people outside of Otogakure, since people who were there on that day already saw his body and know who killed him. But only a group of people had witnessed the act."

"The Scums," muttered Kakashi as he read the name on the paper.

"Yes," Ibiki said. "Your ex-student is said to be the leader of the group."

Kakashi looked at Ibiki then. "And he killed Orochimaru," he read it off the page.

"That's the claim," said Ibiki, "but Tenzou couldn't find anything to back it up. Orochimaru's body hasn't been found yet. Otogakure was a battlefield in its own right. The same goes for every Sound base Tenzou has investigated so far. The Sound Daimyo has no shinobi power to back him up at the moment, so it's going to be a free-for-all buffet for a while." Ibiki sighed. "I was hoping it wasn't going to spread to the nearby Rice Country, but if Sound shinobi are already there, chances are the country was going to destabilize sooner rather than later."

Kakashi sighed. All these politics were giving him a headache. "We're going to get dragged into this soon, aren't we?" Kakashi muttered. "The Rice Daimyo uses our service quite exclusively."

"If he had the wit about him, he should be recruiting decent Sound shinobi like this guy," Ibiki said as he pointed his thumb towards the interrogation room, "but from what I've heard, that isn't going to happen, is it?"

Kakashi shook his head. "The Daimyo refused Orochimaru before. He's not going to go back on his word now."

Ibiki exhaled loudly before saying, "As Nara Shikaku would say-"

"-troublesome," Kakashi finished the sentence for him. He could feel the oncoming of a migraine. "We have Akatsuki and Naruto to worry about and now this. Speaking of Naruto, what's his status with Sound right now?"

"Missing since Orochimaru's death," said Ibiki. "They are looking for him, too, for various reasons it seems. He made a lot of friends and foes there." Kakashi wasn't surprise. Naruto was the type to break rather than bend. He was bound to cross someone big in Oto. "For a loudmouth knucklehead, he's managed to keep a low-profile so far, but it might not be for long."

"How come?" said Kakashi.

Ibiki pointed to the spy again. "That guy claims that the network he was in was the most sophisticated one Sound has. They come the closest to ever pinpointing Naruto's location."

That definitely got Kakashi interested. "And does he know?"

Ibiki shook his head. "No, they aren't really on a big hunt for him, so the information is scattered. The only one who probably knows is the ringleader. Getting that guy is going to be tricky, because even the people in his network don't necessarily know what he's up to or where he is."

"Knowing the name would help," said Kakashi.

Ibiki sighed. He clearly didn't think it was a good use of time. Besides, there was no proof that they were any better than the network Leaf already had or that they really knew Naruto's location, but he told Kakashi anyway, "Noboru of Rice Country."

/***/

End of Chapter 28

**A/N:** Just to be clear, Rice Country and the Land of Sound are not the same place in this story, as sometimes they are made to be. They are neighbor countries instead. So, yes, when I talk about Rice, I'm basically making shit up.

** christinetjorel** Your wish is my command. Here's another chapter. :)

** kamui5** Naruto's definitely up to something, isn't he?

** Wind Strengthens Fire** Likey, likey?

** TacitcalDubstep** Hope you like this one :)

** Reign Of Sorrow** Oh, I don't know if I have that skill. If I can consistently keep the readers then you can begin get jelly. (Because I'm jelly of many authors because of that, too.)

** nekomode** Oh, Sasuke is definitely right, in some sense. But there's always a question of how much should we stick with the regret of the past. I think Konoha's hypocrisy is our hypocrisy actually. I mean, we expects soldiers, policemen, and first responders to go out there and confront violence, and then come back be able to cope with whatever happened to them. And when they can't do that, obviously, they get penalized for that. But that's just a part of our problematic relationship with violence, and thinking about it makes my head hurt.

I'd really like to hand you the 'Karin Team' badge. (Anyone else?) The opinion on Yu-chan is really divided in the Scums, Karin being on the side of 'She Was The Crazy Bitch'. We'll get to what other people think later. The point you made about the poison being oil-based is really interesting. I've never thought of it that way. And thanks for letting me know about your schedule. I kind of expect that actually. I hope you get well soon, and good luck. *Good guy pose*

** davycrockett100** Thanks!

** guest** *Pat on the shoulder* Now, now, everything will be all right (I hope). I'd love to write more about Jiraiya, actually, but it's probably going to be in flashbacks. It would have been great if we get to know more about him, wouldn't it? And, yes, definitely more jiraiya-sasuke drinking stories.

** RavenPainter** Oh, how I want to just lock them together until they snog, but I have a suspicion that they might just sit it out. They have such bad cases of denial. (But Sasuke is getting progressively more accepting, if I may say). And I don't think you can be a 'great' ninja without sustaining some damage. I was actually disappointed (but not by much) that we didn't get to know more about Jiraiya in the canon (although I'm kind of glad that we don't have to see another replay of a tragic backstory where everyone dies). I hope you enjoy this chapter!

** korohoshi** Hohoho, and he hasn't fallen that hard yet.


	29. Chapter 29: Let It Rock

**A/N: **Finally, everything is going into motion. This chapter is, again, edited by the marvelous Ashimodo.

Warning for liberal use of creative license from here on out.

**Chapter 29: Let It Rock**

The gate to the manor was large, as expected of an estate owned by the most powerful general in Rice Country. The decoration also confirmed to Saya that the man was the showy type. Two guards stood by the gate with spears in their hands, ready to stop any intruder from barging in. They, of course, could not stop shinobi from entering, but the Scums didn't have any agenda that required breaking into General Tsubaki's estate, so they walked to the gate in plain sight. The guards spotted them and crossed their spears to prevent entry. "Name and business," one of them said.

"We're the Scums," Naruto replied. "We've been invited to a meeting with General Tsubaki."

The guards frowned. They looked at each other before one of them opened a little window on the wooden doors and whispered to someone inside.

The wait was shorter than they expected. Before long the gate opened and on the other side stood Noboru. Saya always found it eerie that no matter where he was, Noboru could manage to blend in, another face in the crowd that no one remembered. Even as he stood in between the two guards in his plain clothes, he looked just like he was another Rice man. It was hard to believe that he had become the head of the biggest information network in Rice Country since the fall of Sound.

"Naruto-san," Noboru said as he bowed, "I've been waiting."

Naruto didn't say anything in reply or move from his place. He just stood outside the gate with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Noboru seemed puzzled by this, before his eyes lit up in realization. He walked towards Naruto until he was out in front of the gate.

"So you have not made up your mind yet," said Noboru.

"Like I told the messenger, I'll make up my mind after I meet this Tsubaki-guy," Naruto replied. Saya could feel the tension from the two guards. "And even then, I am not going to _serve_ him, just so we're clear."

Noboru nodded an acknowledgement before saying, "You might find that time has changed, Naruto-san. Certain compromises need to be made."

Naruto chuckled. "We'll see. Now that we're on the same page, lead the way, Noboru."

Noboru turned and nodded to the guards. They seemed wary of the shinobi's presence, but let them in without a fuss. Behind the gate was a long white stone walkway leading up to a large compound. If the gate and the size of the estate itself didn't convince Saya of Tsubaki's power, this would do it. "Seems like you found quite a patron, Noboru," said Saya as she walked at Naruto's side just a step behind him.

Noboru smiled. "Tsubaki-sama is a progressive thinker, senpai," he said.

"You mean he's the only one supporting shinobi in Rice Country."

"The only one that does, and can afford the service," replied Noboru, still smiling. "But we don't do much here. Covert operations are considered cowardly by the code of war conducted in Rice Country. What we mainly do is gather information for the samurai force. Information, after all, is power." Saya smiled back. After all, she was the one who'd taught him that.

"Then why does he want me here?" Naruto asked. "You know I suck at information gathering."

"No. We have enough informants as it is, Naruto-san. Tsubaki-sama wants you to work for him in a completely different capacity, but I'll leave him to explain it to you." At this, he stopped in front of a large paper door where two white-faced servants sat. With a bow and a whisper from Noboru, the servants stepped aside and pulled the door open for them.

Inside was the banquet hall, teeming with people and filled with the smell of food. Various warriors sat on both sides of the hall, wolfing down a large meal of fish and meat. Their lack of table manner didn't seem to worry anyone, despite the drops and crumbs on the floor and loud riot of laughter and shouting. The beautifully painted walls, however, seemed untouched by the excited and uncontrolled mass, unstained despite the danger of wandering hands. The hall might look like a chaos, but there was an underlying restraint, not by command but by respect for the person who owned this place. She noticed Naruto's face tense as Noboru led them to the end of the hall, where General Tsubaki sat with his closest comrades.

Noboru bowed to Tsubaki. Naruto didn't, so the rest of the Scums didn't. This gesture, or the lack thereof, drew attention to them. The warriors turned their gazes to them, and Saya could see a few familiar faces. It seemed that it was not just shinobi that had left the Land of Sound in search of employment.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto," said the general with a charming smile. He opened his arms in a gesture of welcome. "Come. Sit and eat with us."

"I'm here because I heard you've got business for the Scums," said Naruto. "Either we talk now, or I'm leaving."

"Watch your mouth, brat," said a large man sitting at Tsubaki's side. There was always a large one sitting somewhere close to the leader's side. "Tsubaki-sama has deigned to meet you. Be grateful that he acknowledges your worthiness."

As Saya predicted, Naruto let out a snort.

And the large one was always, always, the hotheaded one. "How dare you!?"

He got up with his sword in hand and attempted to stride over to Naruto, but Suigetsu was there first with his broadsword in full swing. "I can play with you while they talk," he said, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

"Don't kill him, Suigetsu," Naruto ordered. "He'd be too much of a pain dead." His eyes were still locked with Tsubaki's.

The swordsman huffed. "C'mon, Boss. He started it." .

Naruto didn't reply. He spoke instead to Tsubaki. "Aren't you going to stop your folk?"

"Why?" Tsubaki asked with a shrug. "I always let my people have some fun."

Saya could feel the killing intent from various spots in the room, mostly from the faces she thought she had seen before. Noboru was a bit agitated by all this, but like all good spies he sat and let it all play out.

"Including threatening your guests?" Naruto asked.

"When I deem they should," said Tsubaki. The man was reckless and testy. Or he might just be vastly overconfident. Saya didn't like any of those characteristics.

One of the old faces stepped forward. "Tsubaki-sama, this man once destroyed my troop," he said, pointing his sword at Naruto. "I wish to fight him for their honour."

"And lose again, fucking idiot," said Karin. When it came to a delicate situation like this, she was actually way worse than Naruto.

But Saya didn't say anything. She had told Naruto before that in the warrior culture of Rice Country, Naruto had to be the one in complete control. She would not undermine his authority in their eyes by stepping forward. "Karin," began Naruto, "let the man dream."

The man immediately moved forward then, sword swinging, only to stop abruptly when Naruto turned to face him. All of them could positively feel the air turning heavy and crackling. She could see the effect ripple across the room as the man staggered back, dropping his sword and falling on his rear.

The only one that seemed unaffected by the scenario was Tsubaki himself. Apparently he wasn't the most powerful general in Rice Country for nothing. "You are indeed as strong as Noboru told me," he said with a smirk. "I will have great use for you."

Naruto looked unimpressed. "Noboru told me you don't use shinobi in this country. Why do you want to employ us, then?"

Tsubaki shook his head. "It is not exactly an employment," he said. "I ask for your allegiance."

Naruto lifted his eyebrows.

"See, the current daimyo is old, weak, and as stubborn as a mull. He will not lead Rice Country to glory, but to its ruin. What I want to build is a strong nation, and for that I need strong individuals to help me do so. With someone as powerful as yourself on our side, we can topple the daimyo in a matter of days, and gain control of this country in a matter of weeks," said Tsubaki. "Everyone here will tell you that I reward my people generously. If you help me build this nation, I will make you a general. You will have the power that other shinobi could only dream of."

Tsubaki grinned as he described his vision, but Naruto just chuckled dryly. "Man, for someone who's gone to war, you sure overestimate your own power," he said.

Tsubaki furrowed his brows, but the smile didn't disappear. "How so?" he asked.

"First off, the daimyo has allies within and without Rice Country. The Fire Daimyo to the South, for example, would be very displeased with this development. And he has Leaf shinobi at his disposal. They would come in and interfere as soon as the news of your coup reaches the Fire capital," explained Naruto. "And even before you can think of ruling Rice Country, how exactly are you going to win against the other generals who allied with the daimyo? It won't be weeks, General Tsubaki. It would take years if you're lucky before you have any real power in Rice Country at all."

"Do not underestimate me," growled Tsubaki, but Naruto cut him short.

"I don't overestimate you either. If you need me to win this war for you, you're not ready to win it," said Naruto. "Imagine what people would think of you if I do."

There was a pregnant silence in the room, and Saya could see realization in Tsubaki's eyes. Of course he knew. He'd won the last civil war for the daimyo. His military success and reputation was the reason that even the daimyo himself was unable to keep him under control. If he used Naruto the way he intended to, he would be in the same position as the current daimyo the day Naruto decided that he was no longer fit to lead the country.

"I cannot be your general or win the war for you, General Tsubaki," Naruto said. "But as a shinobi, I can still work for you in other capacities. Surely, a progressive military leader like yourself has a thing or two he'd rather get done quietly."

Saya nearly let out a sigh of relief. She could see on his face that Tsubaki was buying into this. Naruto had done well in persuading him against using their power openly. She was glad that the negotiation more or less followed her intended script, although it had nearly gotten derailed twice.

Then suddenly Tsubaki got up from his seat. "We should continue this conversation in private," he said before leading them towards the back door. They followed, but Tsubaki stopped them. "Only Uzumaki is to come," he said.

"She's coming with me," Naruto replied, pointing his thumb at Saya. She wanted to hit him in the back of the head. Showing that he needed her around would undermine his position in this kind of place.

Tsubaki scowled. "Why would you need that woman?" he asked rather disdainfully.

"Because she is my eyes and ears in all things," said Naruto. "The others can stay behind, but she _will_ come. I will not negotiate otherwise."

Saya didn't know how he did it, but Naruto managed to say all that without sounding like a child whining to have his favourite nanny hold his hand. Tsubaki didn't say anything, but motioned them to follow. Soon they were out into an isolated hallway and into a bare room with no decoration or other entrance. A silent room, she realized. It might look like it had a paper door and walls like any other room, but those was actually a ruse. The wall was thick and designed so that no one could eavesdrop on them from outside.

Tsubaki sat down on one of the cushions while they took the other two opposite him. Saya was careful to sit a little behind Naruto, signalling that she was his subordinate. They didn't want to give Tsubaki any idea that might put Naruto at a disadvantage. She wasn't sure if he would have noticed, because the general looked rather thoughtful. "So what you said isn't for show. You don't want fame or fortune," he said.

"No," replied Naruto, "I would have become the Master of Otogakure if I had wanted any of that."

"Then what do you want?" asked Tsubaki. "Everyone wants something."

Naruto contemplated this for a moment. Saya knew he wasn't sure if he should tell the man anything. She discreetly tapped his foot twice, a signal that meant 'yes'. If Tsubaki was serious about his ambition, it might be in both their best interests to share the information. "I want the whereabouts of the Akatsuki," Naruto said. "I'm not sure if you've heard of them, considering you've been busy, but they're a group of rogue nin looking to obtain power... My kind of power."

Tsubaki was silent for a moment. "So what Noboru said about your power is true. You are a jinchuuriki."

Naruto shrugged. "Didn't you want to hire me because of that? Only a monster could topple a daimyo in a few days," he said candidly before switching back to the topic. "The Akatsuki have attacked Takigakure, Iwagakure, Otogakure, and Sunagakure and managed to steal two tailed beasts, as far as I know. Their current goal is to gather the rest. Tailed beasts have been the weapons that establish the balance of power on our continent for hundreds of years. If one group has all of them-"

"-the rest of us would not stand a chance," Tsubaki finished. "So you are on a mission to save the world."

"No, mostly just my own ass," replied Naruto. "As long as Akatsuki still exists, my life's in danger. I need to eradicate them and whatever ambition they have for the tailed beasts. Saving the world is just a side effect."

Tsubaki watched him and seemed to be mulling over what he'd just heard. "If what you said about this Akatsuki is true, then they could pose a great threat to Rice Country as well. I will have Noboru look into this."

She had to pinch Naruto's foot so he wouldn't be too obvious in his relief. Naruto simply nodded. "Well, then. What about the mission?" he asked.

Tsubaki thought for a moment before he said, "I need you to steal someone for me."

/***/

Sakura could tell that things weren't going well when Tsunade-shishou had to cancel a training session with her, then went through three bottles of sake in one sitting. Of course, Sakura didn't comment on that. The last time she had, it hadn't ended well. Tsunade had basically ranted her ears off, Sakura had gotten drunk with her master, and Shizune-san had been pissed at them both for wrecking the Hokage's office.

So this time, she excused herself and stepped out of the room in case her teacher wanted to throw something at the wall (which she did) and went to talk to Shizune-san instead.

"She's definitely stressed out," was the first thing she mentioned to the honorary secretary. "What's going on, Shizune-san?"

Shizune looked up from her pile of paperwork and sighed. "A lot of things, Sakura-chan," she said, "but they're all encapsulated in one word: Rice Country."

Sakura winced. "Is this about the spy?"

"Yes, partly," replied Shizune. "The Fire Daimyo is doing his own investigation, but he wanted to know why Rice Country houses such a spy network and if the Rice Daimyo is actually responsible for it. The Rice Daimyo, of course, denies everything. But it isn't in their tradition to openly use shinobi unless necessary, and stealing from their own ally is against their code of honour. He wouldn't admit to it even if he is really involved."

"Let me guess, the Fire Daimyo wants us to sneak in and check this one out," Sakura said.

Shizune nodded. "It's a delicate thing. We have a certain relationship to the Rice Daimyo, too, so if we're caught sneaking, we'll destroy whatever our predecessors had worked on to establish peace and respect between Leaf and Rice. Not to mention, if the Rice Daimyo finds out that the Fire Daimyo tried to spy on him, it will cause another diplomatic incident. Of course, the Fire Daimyo himself wouldn't care because Rice country is not his major concern, but the peace between the two countries would be compromised."

Sakura winced again.

"Not only that," Shizune-san continued, "Leaf's council also has an interest in this network because, apparently, they know the location of a certain someone."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You mean Naruto?" she said, immediately chiding herself for saying the name so loudly. "How?" she whispered.

"They pick up this and that about him as they go about their missions. It seems that the head of the network is tracking him, but we don't know why. I don't think anyone else knows, considering how tight this guy runs his ship. He's a damn good spy alright." Shizune sighed. "He's also in Rice Country."

Sakura groaned. Now she understood why her teacher was so stressed lately. Despite her never mentioning Naruto other than when it was necessary, Tsunade-shishou had tried to protect him in whichever way she could. Letting him run free was one way of doing it. As long as he was low-profile, no one would be able to capture him. But if there was information on his whereabouts, the council would demand that Tsunade get him back. This time, they would lock him up for good.

Sakura had never met the council face-to-face, but she hated them already.

And Shizune-san knew this. She looked at her sadly and sighed. "They're just thinking for the village, Sakura-chan. They believe we would be safe from the Akatsuki and whoever else wants the Nine-tails if he's locked away."

"And make him a standing target for whoever wants to use the Nine-tails's power," Sakura countered.

Shizune offered a sympathetic look. "He wouldn't be the first jinchuuriki to lose his freedom," she said. "Shinobi are tools. Jinchuuriki even more so. The attitude changes over the years, but that doesn't change the fact that jinchuuriki are weapons." She paused. "Living, breathing weapons."

Sakura knew that, but it still hurt to think that Naruto's life was defined by something he had no control over. He didn't volunteer to have this monster sealed within him, and he had to suffer all the consequences. No wonder Naruto was such a loudmouthed rebel as a child. No wonder he wanted to accomplish something, to become Hokage, so he would no longer be defined as a vessel. That dream was shattered because no one would ever let Naruto forget that he was a jinchuuriki. No matter what Sasuke said about Naruto being happy in Oto, Sakura couldn't believe him, because she knew that being acknowledged as the monster inside him wasn't what her friend truly wanted.

"Sakura-chan?" Shizune prodded gently, her voice coloured with concern. That was when Sakura realized that her face was set in a deep scowl.

"Send me," she said. Shizune blinked. "This whole Rice Country situation has to be handled diplomatically, correct? Rookie Nine had been there before. We know the terrain pretty well. And we already know stuff about Naruto. We can handle this."

Shizune-san looked at her suspiciously. "You know if you lot try to pull something-"

"I know," said Sakura. The corner of her mouth twitched up in a not-quite-smile. She didn't have to fake a big one for Shizune after all. "I won't let it get out of hand, I promise."

Shizune sighed. "I'll put forward the suggestion when the mission comes up," she said. Sakura thanked her before she left. Her first thought was to go see Ino, but she was probably training in the information bureau with her father. Shikamaru was on a mission and Chouji was covering a class in the Academy. Sakura definitely didn't want to be around noisy children right now.

Her thought drifted to Sasuke. She knew she couldn't tell him anything yet. Sasuke got worked up about anything involving Naruto, so she needed to be sure that she told him when there was in fact a mission and a chance that he could be assigned. She sighed. She was actually hesitant about having Sasuke in the team for this, since she could not predict what he might do if they came across Naruto's location.

She took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks twice. There was no use worrying about this when nothing had been finalized yet. She'd had to take it as it came. With that in mind, she strode out in the direction of Sasuke's apartment. She was sure he would appreciate a good spar. If Sakura wasn't going to get some training done with her teacher, she might as well get it done with someone else.

/***/

End of Chapter 29

** aelia3** Thanks. That scene we have to give the props to Ashimodo who helped me work it out. It honestly wouldn't be there without him.

** Guest** Thank you. I'm glad you like the story. I did expect that some readers wouldn't like Saya on the basis that she's an OC, but here's my philosophy on OCs and fanfiction. If the story is vastly different from the canon story, and if it revolves around different set of people and circumstances that were unexplored in the canon, then OCs should be used. The principle is that you can't make canon characters do or be what they are not originally made to do or be. ('Respect the canon' so to speak, but as you can see that among things in the canon, I respect the characters the most. The rest to a varying and much lesser degree.) Kishi didn't expound on the shinobi side of the Sound, so basically that's a void in the canon universe that I have to fill, because my story is tightly bound with that void and there is nothing I can use.

So, in my humble opinion at least, having strong, important, OCs is irrelevant to whether the story is good or not. I should warn you though, that there will be a lot of original stuffs, this arc being the first of many original story arcs. If you don't like fanfiction being written as original work, this story might not be for you.

** christinetjorel** I'm glad you like it! I'll try my best.

** guest **I'm glad you're excited for the arc! I was kind of worry that inserting original stories would alienate some readers, but it can't be helped since the timeline got changed so much. Personally, I don't think Naruto and Sasuke would ever get together if both of them aren't hot mess (just for the fact that any sensible person would know that the intensity of that relationship is a bit too much and a little too destructive). I'm glad you like my Sakura, because she represents more of the girls that I actually know than her canon counterpart (whom I have no idea where Kishi got the prototype from because she doesn't exist in the circle I'm in). I wouldn't call Naruto devious per se, but I'll let you decide. :D

** RavenPainter** He won't be able to ignore the answer for long, I don't think. Thanks for letting me know the conversation was good, because for a moment I was kind of worried that Sakura was beginning to sound like my therapist. :P Oh, I'm sorry to hear you're not well. I can totally understand that since my health goes up and down on a monthly basis. So take care! I hope you get well soon. I really enjoy writing this story, but in large part because people enjoy reading it too. See you soon.

** korohoshi** Dude, were you proposing to my character? Haha, just kidding! I'm glad you like her. I was kind of nervous about how she might be received, but I think at least she's okay, so I'm happy about that. No, not that hard yet. And you're right in that he's still processing it, but he also doesn't really know _this_ Naruto yet, does he?

** davycrockett100** Thanks, man.


	30. Chapter 30: Smoke and Mirrors

**A/N:** Happy (belated) Halloween to my dear readers. I hope you all have had a great time this weekend. This chapter contains no warning and is, as always, edited by our lovely Ashimodo.

**Chapter 30: Smoke and Mirrors**

Sasuke had to admit that Sakura had become pretty good.

He didn't know this before because, being a medic nin, Sakura couldn't take more active roles in missions even if she wanted to, and they hadn't sparred since he'd gotten back because she was always busy with one thing or the other. Sasuke was actually quite surprised when she approached him about sparring out of the blue one day.

Knowing Sakura, he knew immediately that something was up.

"Tsunade-shishou has been busy, that's all," she told him when he asked. Her smile was like the usual: impenetrable. And she said _he_ had been unapproachable since he got back.

"Alright, then," he said as he put down his katana and took off his haori, leaving only his black undershirt on. This wasn't going to be a ninja training session, then. It was going to be a brawl.

To his surprise, it wasn't much of a brawl. Sakura seemed to have grown out of it, and they actually sparred like regular shinobi would, with ninjutsu and taijutsu. Sakura's strength had left him rather uneasy because it showed him just how much Sakura wasn't the old Sakura anymore.

They finished the session feeling that it was a productive use of their time, but something was off. He knew Sakura felt it, too. She seemed just as agitated and preoccupied as she was when she'd walked in. So he decided to forego their almost artificial politeness. "Wanna brawl?" he asked. She looked tired and confused, but Sasuke stood firm. "No ninjutsu. No genjutsu. No freakish strength of yours."

He swore she almost laughed. "Okay," she said with a smile, a genuine one this time.

After that, they trained together almost every other day. Sometimes it was an all-out brawl. He knew it was frowned upon by many since they were no longer children, but anyone who dared come between them in those matches hadn't been lucky enough to stop them yet.

It was after these kind of matches, when they both were panting, sweating, lying on their backs, that Sasuke felt like they were back being Team Seven again, that they were thirteen again and the only thing to really worry about was how to be better ninja. It was also at times like this that Sasuke missed Naruto the most. Naruto wasn't there to announce that all they needed was ramen. Naruto wasn't there to make a big fuss when Sakura cheated. Naruto wasn't there lying on his back and watching the evening sky with them.

And Sasuke knew Sakura felt that way too in the way she looked at him with sadness in her eyes. She looked like she was always holding something back, but Sasuke didn't know what.

That was until their third brawl, when Sakura finally said it. "There's going to be a mission to Rice Country coming up soon. The Fire Daimyo wants us to find the leader of the spy."

Sasuke nodded. He didn't know why it seemed to bother her to say this, but he kept his mouth shut and his ears open.

Then Sakura got up and sat beside him. "I shouldn't be telling you this," she said. "Please don't... Promise me you're not going to do anything stupid, okay?"

He frowned but nodded anyway.

"This man, Noboru, might know where Naruto is."

Sasuke froze. His heart, which had just started to calm, was racing again. Someone knew where Naruto was. There was a way to find him.

Sakura, oblivious to the thoughts that flitted through his mind, went on, "I've lobbied to be on this mission, but I don't know yet who is going to come. I know that Tsunade-shishou has Kakashi-sensei looking into this, so you might get a chance, but _this _is a sensitive mission, Sasuke. There are a lot of things at stake here. You must not overreact," she said seriously. The thin line of her lips as they pressed together told him the level of distress she was in. "One wrong thing and we and Naruto might be in deep trouble."

What frustrated Sasuke the most was that he knew Sakura knew more than she was telling. She was the Hokage's apprentice. She was privy to many aspects of the shinobi missions that Sasuke had never thought of and never had to. _This_ was one of the times he wished he knew, but Sakura wasn't going to divulge more than this, and Sasuke couldn't help feel a pang of resentment towards her. He knew it was unfair to his friend to demand that she share everything with him when she had already shared more than she should have. So he thanked her even though his fists were clenched and his mind was reeling. He knew he must do something. And that moment, he didn't yet know what.

/***/

Saya spent most of her time at the table nowadays. When they'd first moved into their quarter in the compound, the table was pushed to the side, unused and dusty. Now it was packed with piles of notebooks and scrolls and Saya and her writing utensils were a permanent fixture of the furniture.

Her notebook on Akatsuki was full of scribbles, updates on members' statuses: last known locations, potential targets, potential missions. She was quite surprised how much Noboru knew about the Akatsuki. The master spy informed her that Sound intel had kept track of the organization from the very beginning, since Orochimaru was a former member and a potential target. They'd also had Kabuto who acted as a double agent for the Master of Oto. Their insight into the organization was probably better than most hidden villages.

That part she knew. After all, there was enough information from Oto's intel for them to intercept the capture of the Kazekage. What she didn't know was why they were still keeping track of the Akatsuki after Orochimaru was dead. Noboru told her they were still a threat. He didn't say to whom.

With Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, and Kakuzu out of the picture, the focus was on Itachi and Kisame. Their last known position was a week back in Earth Country, heading in the general direction of Iwagakure. The other members were less active and therefore less known to Sound's network. Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, and Konan, his assistant, were known to base in Amegakure, a hidden village so tightly secured it seemed like they were in constant lockdown. No one knew what Pain looked like. That was why his picture in the book was left empty. There was another blank space with the note 'intel' in his profile, and a masked face Saya hadn't seen before labeled as Tobi. He was noted to have sealed the three-tails but there wasn't much information about the guy.

Without much information about the rest of the Akatsuki or its true purpose, Noboru decided to gather intel about the Akatsuki's current targets, the jinchuuriki. Their casualties were just about the same. The picture of Han the five-tails jinchuuriki, Fuu the seven-tails jinchuuriki, and the fourth Mizukage, the three-tails jinchuuriki, were already crossed out. The Kazekage was thankfully saved. The rest they had yet to make acquaintance: Roushi, Utakata, Killer B, and Yugito. From where Itachi and Kisame was heading, she hoped that Roushi had good enough allies to protect him.

She didn't tell this to Naruto because he would freak out. They had a mission coming up with Tsubaki so they couldn't leave Rice Country for a while. If all went well, they'd be able to resume hunting the Akatsuki within a month, most likely going after Itachi and Kisame. If Roushi didn't finish them off, Naruto could get his revenge then. Killing them would pressure Pain to move, which would take him out of Amegakure, giving them the opportunity to get rid of him and Konan without breaking treaties between shinobi villages and bringing the wrath of the shinobi leaders down on themselves. After all, why would they care if a leader of a small hidden village was killed on a mission outside of his territory?

It was the perfect plan, but Saya knew there would be many hiccups ahead. There were too many variables, too many scenarios, that had yet to be set in stone. Saya didn't try to think about it too much because there wasn't a point. She would come up with something more concrete when the smoke cleared.

She heard a knock on the frame of the paper door before it was pulled open, and there stood Noboru as he said, "I've got a date for your mission."

Saya nodded as she put her notebooks away. "I'll call Naruto."

/***/

In all honesty, Kakashi didn't like diplomatic missions and had done everything in his power to wiggle out of them. This time, however, he wasn't so lucky, not when a pissed-off Hokage narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to say no.

So Kakashi took the mission to Rice Country, and not by choice. After that, he had meeting after meeting with people specialized in relations between Fire and Rice and Leaf and Rice. To put it simply, he had to hunt down this Noboru person and hand him over to Ibiki for interrogation to appease the Fire Daimyo while, at the same time, he must not implicate that the Rice Daimyo had anything to do with this spy network that might or might not be his.

Because of that, they couldn't just get in and get out of Rice Country like they would have in a normal shinobi mission because it would implicate a distrust between Fire Country and Rice Country and also between Leaf and the daimyo. Kakashi had to walk into the lion's den, introduce himself and his team to the daimyo, tell him about the mission, proceeded to assure him that they did not think the Rice Daimyo had anything to do with this gross breach of intel protocol between allied countries, before they could even start hunting the man down.

He knew he needed Kurenai's team for this mission. Since she had just entered the second trimester of her pregnancy and was, by default, out of commission for the moment, that wasn't a big deal. But Sakura insisted upon coming along since they didn't know anything about the enemy and a medic might be needed. It seemed to be this suggestion that let her weasel into a lot of missions without anybody being able to stop her. She also suggested Sasuke to her teacher, since Sasuke had proven to be an asset to their team when they'd hunted down the spy.

The Hokage seriously contemplated this, but her first answer was '_no_'.

Then Sakura asked why. Kakashi knew, of course, that it was because Noboru knew about Naruto's location. It was one of the bits of information Kakashi was told to extract before handing Noboru over to Ibiki, so that the Hokage had a heads-up before the council. Tsunade had tried to avoid mentioning this to Sakura while trying to convince her that five people was already more than enough for a mission like this. Since Sasuke's talents overlapped with Kakashi's, they didn't need to send him

Then Sakura pointed out that Kakashi's talent also overlapped with Kiba, at which point Kakashi tuned out of the conversation and went back to worrying about where to start the search after they had spoken with the daimyo.

"Kakashi, are you listening?" came the annoyed voice of Tsunade-sama as she watched him. He smiled apologetically. She sighed. "I'm going to send Sasuke with you," she said. Kakashi lifted an eyebrow and looked over to Sakura, who looked elated. "The Rice Daimyo had asked for his audience before, and I did tell the boy that I would send him to suffer Lady Fuyuku if he doesn't behave," she said before smiling slyly. "He should prove to make your job much easier."

That was how they found themselves in a courtly reception from the Rice Daimyo, intended as a thank you to the saviour of his daughter. It was held out in the corridor surrounding a beautiful garden with a large pond. In the middle of the pond was a stone lantern, lighting up gentle waves. On the far side sat the musicians in front of the backdrop of bamboo planted like a fence next to the garden wall. Various entertainments were performed on the large stone platform in front of the pond, closest to where the daimyo and the guests of honour sat. From what the jounin had heard, the guests in question were supposed to be the Leaf shinobi, but they were seated on one side of the corridor, largely forgotten by most courtiers who came to appease the daimyo.

The person who was definitely not forgotten was Sasuke. He sat in the middle with the daimyo's close acquaintances, right next to Lady Fuyuku, who took it upon herself to feed him with her own chopsticks. The Leaf Shinobi were all lent garments to wear on this elaborate occasion, but Sasuke's was different. He looked princely in layers of black and white court dress, with a long white tail of cloth hanging from a sash drawn tight around his waist. The court ladies had somehow managed to sew two small Uchiha emblems on the lapels before the event.

"Geez, we were there, too, you know," Kiba mumbled as he watched Sasuke being treated like the country's hero when all he did was finish the job. At least the dog-nin decided that food was more important and didn't cause too much of a fuss. Sakura was the one he worried about. She might not be crushing hard on Sasuke anymore, but she was still possessive and protective of him, not a surprise considering what they had been through. She was basically seething next to Kakashi the entire evening.

"He is just doing his duty," Kakashi said to the rest of the team in general. It was not productive to be envious of one's own teammate. "Sasuke isn't enjoying this."

"We can see that, Kakashi-sensei," replied Shino, who should have been the most envious of Sasuke since he was barely recognized by anyone at all. But it seemed he was content not having a princess glued to his side, looking like she wanted to wipe off the sauce on his lips with her tongue.

"How long will this reception last, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Hinata. Despite being the heiress of one of the most ancient clans in Konoha, she still looked ill-at-ease with all the formalities.

"A few hours yet, I believe," Kakashi replied. "It's hard to excuse ourselves when we're the guests of honour."

"Oh, we aren't. It's Uchiha who is," grumbled Kiba.

"Still, the formal invitation extended to all of us. We can't leave until this is over," said Kakashi just before Sakura hissed loudly.

"She's totally trying to get him drunk," she muttered. Her eyes glued to the sight of Lady Fuyuku pouring and urging Sasuke to have another cup of sake. "She totally thinks she's going to score him tonight!"

"Sakura," he warned, "that is not something a lady should be saying in court."

Sakura snorted, looking unladylike despite her pink juunihitoe. "What _she's _doing isn't something a princess should be doing in court, either," she said. Kakashi had to agree. But since her father didn't stop her, the jounin didn't think he should. He hoped that Sasuke knew how to hold his liquor. The only time Kakashi ever saw Sasuke drank, the boy managed to drink himself under the table. Jiraiya-sama had sworn to tutor Sasuke in this matter despite Kakashi's - admittedly feeble - protest.

Before Sakura could go off the rail, an announcement was made that the Lady Fuyuku was going to perform the Bugaku, a rarely seen court dance, in honour of her most esteemed guests - at which Kiba rolled his eyes. The princess pulled back from Sasuke a little and bowed her head. He did the same, his movement precise and perfect with no sign of him being drunk, for which Kakashi was grateful. Lady Fuyuku then got up and walked down the front stairs onto the stone platform. The light from the garden seemed to be designed to enhance her beauty as she shrugged off a few layers of her elaborate juunihitoe, an action Kakashi was also sure was not entirely courtly, before raising her arms in preparation.

The first line of music washed over them, slow and calming, as Fuyuku stood absolutely still, like she had become a statue. It seemed as if she didn't even blink. But as soon as the beat picked up, she transformed. Her movements were slow, precise, and at moments aggressive, as she moved across the stone platform from one side to the other. Kakashi thought for a moment that her dance represented the court of Rice Country very well: slow, ancient, forceful, tiresome, and at times intriguing.

Despite how boring it looked, pretty much the entire court was enraptured. The place was quiet except for the music and sound of Lady's Fuyuku's shoes hitting the stone in hypnotizing tempo. Even Kiba was intrigued enough that he didn't complain. Sakura was frowning, clearly not sure how to interpret the dance in relation to the princess's overt flirting with Sasuke, since the dance was anything but sexy.

It was the silence of the audience that allowed Kakashi to hear the sound of something being launched from the roof. It was a mere second before the smoke bombs landed in the garden so all he managed to do was get up on his feet. The music abruptly stopped as the smoke spread, engulfing the musicians and the princess in thick greyish fume. The light in the garden promptly went out, followed by shouting from the courtiers, at which point the guards had arrived. The daimyo had recovered from the initial shock enough to order them to find his daughter. The guards couldn't do much, however, not with the fume still thickening. Kakashi quickly turned to Hinata and ordered her to scan for the enemy's chakra.

Hinata was just raising her hands to form the seal when a burst of strong wind blew away the smoke to reveal the unconscious musicians on the ground. Fuyuku, also unconscious, was held reverently in the arms of a man standing on top of the stone lantern in the middle of the pond. He wore dark clothing that made him fade into the night. Only the white Youkai mask and a thick wig of white hair were clearly visible in the dim garden. Kakashi could feel his chakra, powerful and ancient, pressing down on the entire gathering.

"I bring greetings from Tsubaki-sama and his apology for not being able to come tonight," said the Youkai. "And I will be taking Lady Fuyuku with me."

Kakashi could see Sasuke move from the corner of his eye. He had shredded most of the heavy layers of the court's dress and charged at the Youkai, but the Uchiha was still too slow in the unfamiliar hakama. The man jumped away and landed on top of the tall fence before the raven could even reach the edge of the pond.

"Send the shinobi and I cannot guarantee the safety of the princess," said the Youkai as he turned to the daimyo. "Choose your moves wisely and she will live."

At that the Youkai turned and disappeared into the night. The daimyo shouted the orders for his guards to follow them and for the courtiers to be investigated. Shouts and murmurs could be heard as the courtiers tried to defend their innocence. The daimyo, however, would not have any of it. He drove them off as he walked to where Sasuke still stood and promptly went down on his knees. "Please save my child," he begged as he bowed low. "She is the only memory of my beloved wife, and my moon and sun. If anything should happen to her... if that rogue should try something..."

Sasuke looked like he was at a loss. On his face were warring emotions: sympathy, bewilderment, and annoyance. Kakashi took pity on him and stepped in. He knelt next to the daimyo to help him rise. "My lord, we are more than willing to help, but you do realize that this rogue you spoke of warned against using shinobi like us against him, correct?" Kakashi looked him in the eye. "There are many risks we must speak of before we proceed."

The daimyo seemed to have a hold of himself again. He considered what Kakashi said and nodded. "I am confident that Leaf can bring my child back safely as you once did, but you are right. We need to speak of the details first."

Kakashi smiled through his usual cloth mask, the one he insisted on wearing even though it looked odd with the courtly outfit. The daimyo's servants came to help their master and Kakashi let them. He sighed as the Lord of Rice Country retreated into his compound. This mission was getting more complicated by the minute.

He turned back and saw his team behind him. Sakura was already helping the unconscious musicians with the assistance of Shino and Kiba. Hinata stood next to him with a grim expression on her face. "It was him, wasn't it?" she said even as she looked like she wanted her Byakugan to be wrong. "His didn't feel the same, but that ancient chakra-"

"It was him," Sasuke said. On his face was a mask of complete stillness. Kakashi couldn't see what he was thinking or feeling, but that alone was worrying. "That was his voice."

Hinata looked like she might cry then and Kakashi patted her on the back. He didn't know if Kiba, Shino, or Sakura realized this yet, but it was certainly going to be a shock. It was difficult to reconcile the boy they once knew to that rogue nin who had the audacity to kidnap Lady Fuyuku in front of the entire court of Rice Country, knowing he would get away unscratched.

_Naruto, what hell do you think you're doing?_ Kakashi wondered. At this point, he just had a feeling that it couldn't be good.

_/***/_

End of Chapter 30

**A/N:**

** User9368** I'm glad you like it. There's still a difficult long road ahead for them precisely because both of them are going to eff it up at some point, and also because I don't know how to write anything short.

** Guest davycrockett100** Thanks, mate!

** Reign Of Sorrow** Yes! Let's hope I can deliver after all this build up. *fingers cross*

** guest** Oh boy, the pressure's on, isn't it? Honestly, I think Naruto would have gone off the deep end if he hadn't met Saya in Sound (that would be an alternative story left the readers' imagination). I'd like to think Tsunade and Sakura would win in the drinking competition, but Sasuke doesn't like the lose, so I don't know.

I actually like writing side character POVs, too. I think an outside view can sometimes be more revealing than the main character POVs. I mean, we can't expect Naruto and Sasuke to be complete honest, do we? I'm looking forward to see the two boys grow as well.

** korohoshi** Don't worry. I totally understand. I love bamf girls too. Kusanagi Motoko of Ghost in the Shell and Katsuragi Misato of Evangelion are my two absolute favourites, but I basically have a list of them.

Yeah, Tsubaki is to some degree controlling. I mean, I don't think you can get to his kind of position in power without being a little on the pushy side, especially in a place that values qualities of an alpha male.


	31. Chapter 31: Rhyme or Reason

**A/N: **A new chapter finally arrives! Sorry for being late this week. Both me and Ashimodo have been busy off our faces. We hope this chapter is worth the wait.

This chapter is as good as it is with the help of Ashimodo. Nothing to warn for this chapter.

**Chapter 31: Rhyme or Reason**

Naruto had his eyes closed as he lounged beside the window, but he wasn't sleeping. He could hear the footsteps barging into their quarter. The paper door was torn open and in came General Tsubaki in all his fury.

"Uzumaki," growled the general, "w_here_ is Lady Fuyuku?"

Naruto opened his eyes, looking unimpressed. "Safe, of course," he replied. "Isn't that the mission? To keep her safe?"

"Yes," the general hissed. "Then why isn't she here?"

Naruto had to stop himself from laughing. "Tsubaki-sama, you do realize that the last time she was here, she got spirited away by Leaf ninja, right?"

Tsubaki grumbled something about new security measures. Naruto just snorted, which angered him even further. "I hired you to bring Lady Fuyuku to me!" he shouted. "Where is she!?"

Naruto stood up then. At his full height, his build was on par with the general's. The blond refused to be so easily intimidated. "No, you told us to steal Lady Fuyuku from her father and keep her safe while you and the daimyo duke it out in a civil war, because you want to marry her after you win to legitimize your rule," said Naruto. "We have done exactly that."

"Then why is she not here? Where did you take her?"

"Here is not _safe_, Tsubaki-sama, because here is where the daimyo will send his people to look for her first. Here is where he will concentrate his force because you gave him a reason to crush you by stealing his precious daughter. Twice," said Naruto. "So if I'm going to keep Lady Fuyuku safe, she can't be here."

Tsubaki growled, but he seemed defeated by that line of reasoning. "Where, then?" asked the general.

"I don't know."

Tsubaki's eyes bulged. "What?"

"I said I don't know. I handed her to one of my teammates to take her someplace safe. I can't know either, because if the daimyo catches me, he'll interrogate me for her location. So it wouldn't be a safe place anymore," Naruto said and shrugged.

Tsubaki was still unappeased. "Lady Fuyuku is a woman of great dignity. I will not tolerate you treating her like some prisoner-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Naruto interrupted, "I said nothing about keeping her prisoner. She's fine. She even has the freedom to wander about and do whatever she wants. Trust me." The general looked absolutely confounded by this, and Naruto took pity on him. "We put a genjutsu on her so that she doesn't remember anything about being a princess. Or anything about her life, actually. We cut her hair and dressed her up like a peasant girl. Some good Samaritan in a far away village is bound to help a poor girl wandering the countryside with amnesia. My teammate is going to be there to make sure she settles in nicely, and then we'll back off. Then no one would ever be able to find her." Naruto smiled. "Nice plan, isn't it?"

Tsubaki looked ready to faint at that point. And Naruto knew why. Saya had anticipated this. "But then if she is caught in a battlefield, someone could kill her!" he shouted.

"Then tell your soldiers to _be careful_!" Naruto shouted back. "You are the general. Keep your people in line! And you said you want to run this country, for gods' sake!"

Tsubaki looked like he wanted to shout back, but a servant appeared at the doorway, looking frightfully between them before saying, "Tsubaki-sama, a messenger from the daimyo requests your audience."

The general looked at his servant, then at Naruto."We'll finish this conversation later," he said between gritted teeth.

"Sure," Naruto said as the general turned to leave. "And by the way, do share this information with the daimyo. It would be a pity if his own soldiers kill his beloved daughter."

Tsubaki's hands clenched, then he stormed off with a frightened servant tailing behind him. Naruto couldn't help a chuckle. Man, he had always known that Saya was brilliant, but this time she might have outdone herself by a wide margin. Not even the presence of Leaf shinobi could make any difference at this point. But if she was here, she would have told him not to celebrate before the work was done. He thought is was mostly done, though. They only needed to wait for things to pan out.

One thing he knew for certain was that it was going to be _so _much fun.

/***/

Sasuke honestly didn't know what to make of the things that had happened in the past couple of days. A diplomatic mission was tiring and complicated enough on its own. Then Naruto had to come in and steal the princess of Rice Country. He had always known that Naruto had a flare for the dramatic, but this was a notch above. The abduction was timed and executed so theatrically that no one missed the message: this was General Tsubaki's order. No one paid nearly adequate attention to the abductor.

The daimyo sent a messenger to General Tsubaki, demanding his daughter back, but the general replied that he had no clue as to where the Princess was, and that her abductor told him that she was supposed to be out in the countryside somewhere believing herself to be a peasant girl.

The daimyo, of course, didn't believe this, not the fact that Tsubaki had no idea where his daughter went or that she would ever believe herself a peasant girl. That was before Kakashi mentioned genjutsu to him. The court of Rice Country, not being familiar with shinobi, were completely baffled and disbelieving. That was until Kakashi told Sakura to perform a genjutsu on one of the courtiers. The effect was immediate. They went from baffled and disbelieving to just baffled.

"What can we do then?" said the daimyo. "If my poor daughter is not in her right mind, how can we even find her?"

One of the courtiers quickly turned to Kakashi as if he had the answer to everything in the world. "Is there a way of spotting genjutsu, Hatake-taichou?" he asked.

Kakashi sighed and said, "No, unfortunately genjutsu is almost undetectable. And even if it can be detected by another shinobi, the abductor clearly stated that using shinobi will jeopardize Lady Fuyuku's life."

"But genjutsu is never sustained for long, isn't it, Kaka-sensei?" asked Kiba. "I mean, Kurenai-sensei is really adept in genjutsu, but she never casts anything that stays longer than a couple of days. Would it be possible that the princess will slowly come back to her senses?"

"No," Kakashi replied, "a genjutsu can last virtually forever, but it is true that the stronger, the longer the genjutsu is, the more difficult it is to cast," said Kakashi. "That would mean there is a high probability that there is a ninja trailing the princess to make sure that the genjutsu holds. That is why the presence of another shinobi in close proximity to Lady Fuyuku is dangerous to her. The ninja might be under the order to kill her if that happens."

"Nonsense! Tsubaki might be a rogue, but he has honour! He will not kill my daughter!" replied the daimyo.

"That might be true for General Tsubaki," said Kakashi, "but from what I understand, he has no control over what the abductor has done or what he might do next. This man is a rogue nin. He might be capable of anything."

"But for what end? Did he not say he serves Tsubaki?"

Sasuke wanted to ask the same thing. Why would Naruto involve himself in the politics of Rice Country? Why would he turn on the man he called master? It simply didn't make sense from what Sasuke knew of Naruto.

But after more than three years, did Sasuke still know him at all?

The talk went on, mostly consisting of Kakashi evaluating the evidence they had and giving them his opinion from his wide and wild experience as a shinobi. They agreed that the Leaf ninja would continue their search for Noboru. If he was really as good as his comrade made him out to be, he might already know where Lady Fuyuku was. The daimyo was to acquire the cooperation of General Tsubaki in finding Lady Fuyuku. An idea in which the daimyo was vehemently against at first, until Kakashi pointed out that any real fight between them at this point might put the princess in danger.

The courtiers objected and grumbled, but they didn't really have a concrete argument against Kakashi's suggestion. Sacrificing the princess wasn't an option. She was the heiress to the daimyo, after all, and through marriage with her the country could have the next legitimate ruler. If she died, the line would end and cause a vacuum of power. A large scale civil war could erupt between many generals for the position. The war two decades earlier was still too fresh in their minds for them to want to get into one again so soon.

The genius of the plan Kakashi had put out was in putting the Leaf shinobi in a minor role and away from the actual heart of the conflict. They could get done what they had set out to do without getting tangled up or being rude to the daimyo.

"That was brilliant, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura once they managed to get out of the court and back to their quarter. "I was afraid they were going to go to war for a moment there."

"No," Kakashi replied. "Someone planned this very carefully."

Hinata frowned. "What do you mean, sensei?" she asked softly, but with clear interest.

Kakashi sighed. "Even if I didn't say anything, either the court or General Tsubaki would come to understand that any armed conflict would only go against their goal of protecting Lady Fuyuku. One of them would start the negotiation first. It is because they are reacting to the situation at hand according to what they deem important. So whoever decided to abduct and hide the princess among the crowd is actually the one who stops any potential battle from breaking."

Something clicked in Sasuke's head then. So there was a grander scheme from the beginning, the underneath of the underneath. That theatrical abduction of the princess was part of the scheme to direct the attention away from the people who were actually behind the plan.

"So Naruto-kun isn't working for the general after all?" Hinata asked. A small smile graced her lips, as if the fact that Naruto was part of a scheme to stop the conflict in Rice Country pleased her greatly. Sasuke's attention suddenly focused on her. He'd never really seen her in the way he was seeing her in that moment, an infatuated young woman. That suspicion was somewhat confirmed when he spotted an annoyed frown on Kiba's face before the dog ninja purposefully looked away.

What he wasn't quite prepared for was a surge of a vile feeling inside him. Before he knew it, he opened his mouth and said the most cruel thing he could think of to stub Hinata's glee. "It wasn't Naruto who thought up all this. He doesn't have the brain for it."

He only realized that he'd probably gone too far when both Kiba and Sakura whipped their heads at him, their eyes wide in surprise. Hinata looked at him, frowned, and looked away. He couldn't see what Shino was doing.

"I guess I can see why he doesn't want to come back," Kiba muttered, loud enough for Sasuke to hear. His chest clenched. This was his bad habit, wasn't it? He always talked Naruto down even when the blond wasn't around.

Before things could deteriorate even further, Kakashi, looking as bored as ever, came to his rescue. "Actually, Sasuke has a point here," he said. "To plan something like this requires intimate knowledge of the thinking among Rice Country's upper echelon. I don't believe Naruto knows enough about the environment to come up with this on his own. Someone else was working with him to set this up."

Sakura blinked. "Could it be Noboru?" she saids.

Kakashi nodded. "A likely possibility. We'll need to find out about that."

/***/

As soon as the gate of the general's estate came into view, Sakura scrunched her face. It was elaborately built, with crafted wooden figures and perfectly curved roof. The workmanship told her how much was spent on the gate alone - a statement of wealth and power. It was a clear contrast to the modest and practical buildings they'd passed by on the way there. That gate only served to confirm Sakura's impression of General Tsubaki: ambitious and ostentatious. She couldn't see why some people thought he would be a better leader than the daimyo. One seemed just as bad as the other.

She heard Kakashi-sensei clear his throat, and she quickly schooled her expression as they approached the gate. Her commander looked relaxed enough, but Sakura could tell by the tension in his back that the jounin didn't like what was about to happen either. They were stopped by the guards and asked to identify themselves and their intention. She could see the strain on her teacher as he smiled like he usually did and told them that they were Leaf shinobi, looking to offer service to the general to find a certain someone.

The guards looked confused, not surprising for a country that never openly used shinobi before. One of them opened a small window on the wooden gate and spoke to someone behind it. After a short discussion, the man closed the window and told them to wait.

It was a long wait.

"Is he going to see us at all?" muttered Kiba. His patience was clearly wearing thin.

Kakashi was probably on edge as well. "He is probably having a meeting with his advisors," replied the jounin. "He has to be cautious, too."

Kiba grunted and went back to petting Akamaru, who was moving back and forth restlessly beside him. Sakura could sympathize with them. She felt just as restless not knowing what was going on inside the compound. The general wouldn't have kept them waiting this long if the answer was going to be 'no', but that unsettled her. There was no reason for Tsubaki to consider their service if he had shinobi at his disposal. Sakura couldn't figure out what his side of the plan might be.

She didn't have to wait for much longer before a servant finally came to lead them into the compound. While the buildings looked less extravagant than the gate and less ancient than the daimyo's palace, Sakura still noticed the finer details of the architecture. This was a man poised to take over a country, and he certainly was not shy about it. She could almost see his pompous manner in her mind's eye.

They were taken to the banquet hall where the white-faced servant showed them in. Within was a gathering of warriors, and at the end of the hall was General Tsubaki, looking less pompous than Sakura remembered him. He still had the air of grandeur about him, but he seemed uneasy as he waited for their arrival. She could feel eyes following them as they followed Kakashi into the center of what Sakura was sure was a trap.

The servant introduced them to the general. Tsubaki took one look at them and said, "We all know that your purpose for coming here is not to help me find Lady Fuyuku, so speak up. What is it that you want?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. He sure was not playing around.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side and asked, "You aren't going to let us sit down first?"

"Why should I? You will be out of here shortly anyway. I'm simply lending my ears, so you don't come pestering me again," Tsubaki replied. He handed over the cup for his tea to be refilled with clear disinterest. His attitude rubbed Sakura the wrong way.

"Very well," Kakashi sighed. "Since you are kind enough to talk to us, I'll get straight to the point. We are looking for a former Sound ninja named Noboru. We have learned that he is somewhere in Rice Country, and quite possibly under your patronage."

The general did not comment on the last part. He simply took a sip of his tea and asked, "Why?"

There was a moment of silence and Sakura could almost see gears turning in Kakashi's head. She was certain he was trying to see where his opponent was going, looking for the underneath of the underneath, to decide what he should say. Tsubaki was also waiting in pretty much the same state, ready to make the next move depending on what Kakashi said, or didn't say.

When the jounin finally opened his mouth, he said, "According to a source I cannot disclose, Noboru has the information network necessary to find Lady Fuyuku."

The general snorted. "You are not here for that."

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow.

"I am not so stupid that I fail to see the discrepancy in time, shinobi. Lady Fuyuku was kidnapped from a party held for _you_. Now that leaves the question: why exactly did you come to this country in the first place?"

Sakura had to admit then that Tsubaki was smarter than she had given him credit for. He was also brash compared to the generals and courtiers they had met so far. No wonder they didn't side with him, even though he was clearly a wealthy and powerful man. His temperament was in opposition with theirs.

"I am afraid I cannot discuss the details with you, General, with all due respect," Kakashi replied.

The general snorted. "The lot of you and secrecy," he said. "That is why we don't use ninja here. You're nothing but a dishonest bunch of scums."

Sakura's hand curled into a fist. She was minutes away from punching Tsubaki, but her teacher got there first. "And what does that say of someone using rogue nin, General?"

Tsubaki's eyes sharpened at the insult, but the jounin wasn't fazed. The collective killing intent spiked as the two men stared each other down. "You are overconfident, shinobi," grunted the general through his teeth.

"You will find that I am not," Kakashi replied levelly. "But I am not here to insult you. I am here for information. My question is simple: how do you contact a shinobi in Rice Country."

"The answer is also simple," said the general. "We don't."

Another brief stare down commenced as the rest of the team tried to keep track of everyone in the room. The hostility was bleeding out from the two men, and everyone could sense it. One wrong move and every sword in the room would come flying at their throats.

But just as the tension reached its peak, Kakashi gave a sigh that sounded like defeat. "Very well, then. I don't have any further question."

"Good," said Tsubaki as he placed the cup down for more tea. "Escort the guests out!"

The servant, who seemed to pop out of nowhere, bowed to his master and motioned them to follow. Kakashi-sensei bowed just enough to be polite before leading them out of the room. They were led through the gate at such speed that Sakura could only classify it as being kicked out. She took one look back at the large compound and sighed. That was one experience she didn't want to repeat.

They walked back to town at a sedate pace. Once far enough from the estate, Kakashi asked, "Hinata, is there anyone following us?"

"No, sensei," replied the white-eyed kunoichi.

The jounin nodded. "Good. So what did you find?"

"No one was listening to us from outside the meeting room," Hinata reported. "There was no sign of other shinobi in the compound."

Kakashi nodded before turning attention to Shino. "Did your bugs find anything?"

"Nothing suspicious, Kakashi-sensei," replied the quiet ninja. "But they found a nesting place and have begun building a colony."

"Good," Kakashi said as they kept walking. "Kiba."

"We caught scent of two individuals recently in the room among the general's advisors. Their scent was also in the hallway, but possibly from going in rather than coming out. Other smells are accounted for."

"Good," replied Kakashi before letting out a breath. "It sounds like he might be hiding something or someone from us. We'll have to leave this town for now, but we'll come back under disguise. I want us to split into three teams and keep an eye on the surroundings. If Tsubaki has indeed been employing ninja in a place where no other people do so, they are bound to be around here, including the people who weren't in the banquet hall. We'll have to wait for them."

They all nodded, and Sakura let out another sigh. Everything had gone according to plan. Shino's bugs would keep them informed of anything suspicious in the compound. For the next step, they needed to wait.

/***/

They were out quite a distance from the town when they finally stopped to rest near a stream. It was a close call. They didn't even have time to get proper supplies before the mad dash. Who would have thought the Leaf ninja would show up at Tsubaki's compound, walking into the place in broad daylight like that. Saya might have. Naruto certainly didn't.

On the other hand, he was grateful for a chance to escape. Naruto had been trapped in the compound for a week, stuck in meetings where he wasn't necessarily needed, because Tsubaki figured out that boredom tormented him. No wonder Saya wanted to be out in the field. Of course it made sense for him to deal with Tsubaki, since that was how things worked with the elites of Rice Country, but Naruto was still pretty miffed that she basically ditched him. They would have words about the headaches she put him through.

For the moment, though, he didn't want to care. Being in the forest like this felt like home to Naruto. He breathed in deeply and sighed. "This feels like the old days, doesn't it?" he said with a wide smile to Noboru, who clearly wasn't as thrilled to leave the compound as Naruto was.

"Yes," Noboru replied with a frown, "and I'm not terribly fond of it. Not everybody is an adventurer like you, Naruto-san."

Of course Naruto knew. Noboru was one of the first teammates he had in Sound. Even as unperceptive as he was at that age, Naruto knew Noboru was never happy during missions. He simply did not like the shinobi's way, but was pushed into it because it was the only kind of work valued in Sound. Intel work was thought of as secondary, a work for people who weren't really fit to be ninja. After months of watching Noboru trudge unhappily through life, Naruto finally told him to just flip at the rest of them and go to Intel if that would make him happier. Noboru did.

So he could understand Noboru not wanting to be dashing about when he had a network to run, but there wasn't much of an option. "Well, you can't go back right now. The Leaf ninja are going to be around for a while. What are you going to do then?"

"I can set up shop somewhere else, although I can't be too far off in case Tsubaki-sama needs me."

"I don't get how you tolerate working for him, you know," said Naruto as he filled up his canteen with water. "I want to kill myself just sitting in meetings with him. His grandeur is seriously nauseating. He's just as terrible as the daimyo, really."

"We don't have a choice, Naruto-san. Every potential leader in Rice Country is in some way a megalomaniac," Noboru said.

Naruto made a face. Noboru shrugged.

"I seriously don't envy you," Naruto said.

"And I don't envy you, either," said Noboru. "I'm not like you, Naruto-san. I'm a simple man. I just want a job I know how to do well and make a living doing it, like what I had in Sound."

Naruto couldn't help a small pang in his chest, but he stomped it down. Killing Orochimaru, after all, was not for the greater good by any means. It was his personal revenge. Toppling Sound was a side-effect. "Oops," he muttered as he put in the purifying tablet and screwed the canteen shut.

"I couldn't care less about Orochimaru," said Noboru, as if reading Naruto's mind. On second thought, he probably was reading Naruto's mind. "He didn't care about Sound as long as he could carry out his experiments. I had hoped _you _would care."

"And now you see that I don't," Naruto replied as nonchalantly as he could.

Noboru stared at him incredulously before saying, "You don't care for the entirety of the former Sound. That is true. Your problem, Naruto-san, is that you're too noble to not care at all." Naruto didn't have anything to reply to that, so Noboru continued. "If General Tsubaki wins, Rice Country will be more open to the use of shinobi. We can have a small hidden village here, working as support to the samurai force."

"So that's why you want him to win," Naruto muttered. It made sense. Noboru wanted him here in the hope that he would support Tsubaki and help his dream come true. Of course, that didn't happen. "Sorry for ruining another plan of yours."

Noboru just shook his head. "As long as you don't destroy him, there is always a way," he said. "What about you, Naruto-san? What are you going to do now?"

"Find Juugo," Naruto replied. Honestly, letting Juugo go on a mission alone still unnerved him. Karin accused him of being an overprotective father, but Naruto knew well how terrifying it was to be alone, especially when he didn't trust himself. Juugo was willing to leave because he knew where to find Naruto when he needed him. If he came back and Naruto was not there, it might trigger his panic attack. Not to mention that if the Leaf ninja found him, they would end up killing him. And Naruto would not be able to forgive himself or them if that happened.

He put his water canteen back in his pack and slung it across his shoulder. "Well then, I'll be off," he said, grinning widely at Noboru. "Good luck with everything."

Noboru smiled at him. "You too, Naruto-san. Be safe."

Naruto didn't reply to that. Danger was his life. He simply waved and disappeared.

/***/

End of Chapter 31

**A/N:**

** Mamori-sama** Wow, I'm so chuffed that you remember the anniversary! (I almost didn't :P) Strangely enough, the story is still pretty much what I imagine it to be. I think the story before and after the timeskip has shifted in style and tone which is not really something I deliberately planned. I just know some changes was going to happen to the storytelling. Actually, I'm interested as to what you think about these changes. I'm glad that you've followed this story for so long, and I hope you'll continue to support it.

** Skyrere** I love reading your responses to the chapters. It's kind of awesome to see a reader's reaction throughout the story. I hope you'd enjoy the rest of it, too.

** Guest** Thank you. I hope I can still interest you when more boy x boy stuff comes up.

** guest** Haha, Sasuke is definitely not leaving Naruto alone. If he could find where that dope is, that is.

** korohoshi** Oh, I think Sasuke would recognize Naruto anywhere, even in sexy no jutsu. XD

** Reign Of Sorrow** Thanks, man. It's sure good to know.


	32. Chapter 32: Gypsy Woman

**A/N: **Hello everyone! We're still ALIVE! Sorry for the impromptu hiatus, but rest assured that this story is not dead. The good news is that I have got the story for the next arc (gosh, that takes way longer than it should), which hopefully will be far more exciting, _but_ I still have to write it down. The bad news is that, due to this delay in creating the material, I can't promise you guys a schedule for the update. So, please, if you haven't, subscribe for the update of this story. Reviews are also very much appreciated.

Note: This chapter has been greatly improved by Ashimodo, but he hasn't got a chance to put his final touch on it yet. So all the errors are on me in this one. We'll update an improved version when we can.

**Chapter 32: Gypsy Woman**

Saya arrived in town in the evening. The streets were crowded with people coming out to eat and drink. This place was livelier than most towns in Rice Country, and she had to congratulate Tsubaki on a job well done. The truth was, the general was competent when it came to the things he understood, namely war and trade. His considerable wealth was not much from the land his father inherited, but the trading connections he had from his mother's family. The marriage that created Tsubaki was like a miniaturized version of the marriage of might and money that created the Five Nations, but with considerably less diplomacy involved.

She just wished the last part had turned out differently.

She sipped her tea as she waited for the dango, a kind of luxury she didn't have often. After this she was going to see how Naruto was doing. He was probably insufferable, given that he was alone for a week with no one but Noboru to nag. Saya could almost hear him whining in the back of her mind.

She thanked the waitress for the dango as the tray was placed by her side and briefly considered allowing him out. The Scums were not doing much except misleading anyone trying to find the princess. The problem would be who to deal with the general in Naruto's absence. If it was anywhere else, Saya would have stood in for him, but she hardly thought Tsubaki would take her seriously. And in any case, acting like a proper Rice woman was against her nature. That was why she'd left in the first place.

Saya was halfway through the sweets when she felt eyes on her. She looked to the side and inwardly groaned. There were two guys watching her from the next shop, clearly half drunk on sake, and very interested.

Since they didn't make a move, she decided not to bother and enjoy the sweets for the time being. With any luck, she could speedily get away without having to come into contact with them. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Before she could finish the last of the little rice dough, they came up to her to introduce themselves and ask her out to dinner.

"Thank you, but no thanks," she said with a smile before getting up and leaving the money for payment. One of the guys pick it up and handed it back to her, placing his money down instead. She objected.

"Oh c'mon, sweetheart, let us pay this for you," he said with a smile that was bordering on a leer. She wanted to roll her eyes. "A cute girl like you shouldn't be sitting alone in the evening, you know. It's not safe."

The only possible threat to a woman's safety that she could see was the likes of these two, but she didn't say that out loud. She thanked them instead and insisted she must leave, but they insisted on walking her to her destination. She was plotting a route to a secluded place when a hand came up to tap the guy's shoulder.

They looked back to find a man smiling pleasantly at them. One of his eyes was wrapped over with fresh bandages, but otherwise he looked fine. "I don't think she likes that very much," he said.

"Back off. We found her first," said one of the guys.

"That's not the point, is it?" said the man with a shrug. "She's clearly uncomfortable with you guys being pushy."

"You wanna fight?" said the other guy. Saya was ready to run when the man reached out and grabbed their necks. They were down on the ground almost immediately.

"Mah, must have drunk too much," he said with a chuckle before looking at her. "I'm sorry about that. I know you didn't want to draw attention."

"It's fine, and thank you," she said. If she was not on high alert before, she was then. The technique colored him as a highly skilled fighter. He could cause more problems than those two drunkards combined. She needed a better exit strategy if she wanted to pass as a common Rice woman.

"I actually have a question to ask," he said. He wasn't closing the distance, so she didn't move. Saya tried her best to keep her breathing calm and her eyes fixed on the man even as she gauged her surroundings, looking for a way out. His question, however, threw her off. "You are a kunoichi, correct?"

Inwardly her fight-or-flight reaction began to kick in, but she kept laughter on her lips. "That's absurd, mister," she said between giggles. "A woman shinobi? Ridiculous!"

The guy still sounded like he was talking about the weather as he said, "Your henge would say otherwise, miss." He pushed up the edge of the bandage, and staring back at her was a red pin-wheel eye.

/***/

From Kakashi's experience in surveillance missions like this one, he could safely say that identifying a target on the second day is a rarity. Running into a familiar face is even rarer. Had he been poetic, he would have called it destiny.

When he first made contact, he didn't think it would have been someone he knew. He only approached her because his Sharingan was seeing a clear signature of a henge. It was only after he showed her his eyes and persuaded her to drop her disguise did he realized the prize of his capture. Saya didn't seem particularly excited to see him, though.

"Hatake-san," she said as she bowed her head slightly in greeting, but her stance said wary and her eyes were sharp and calculating. Kakashi knew that she would want to run. She probably assumed the jounin was after the hostage, and they were now enemies. He wondered if there was a way to rectify that misunderstanding without him having to tell her about his true objective.

"Just Kakashi is fine," he said with a winning smile.

She raised her eyebrow and said, "I'm sure it is, _Hatake-san_."

Kakashi sighed. She wasn't going to make this conversation easy at all, was she? "You don't need to be so polite."

She smiled then. "I insist, Hatake-san," she said before turning away. "Now if you will excuse me." But before she could turn her back on him, Kakashi reached out to grab her arm. He couldn't let a potential lead walk away like this.

"Would you like to have dinner?" he asked casually, but he was nervous for some odd reason.

Saya's eyebrow climbed her forehead once again, but she didn't say anything, which left Kakashi feel like a creep. He quickly scrapped his brain for some excuse, and hit gold.

"I never answered your question about Naruto back then," he said with more confidence this time. "Now is a good time without the kids around. If you're not in a hurry, that is."

He knew he got her from the slight change in the angle of her body. She was looking his way now, clearly interested in what he had to say. Kakashi tried his best to keep his cool because he needed her cooperation. He knew that the first sign suggesting this chitchat was in fact an interview would set her running.

The jounin could feel her assessing him in the ensuing silence, probably trying to read him as much as he was trying to read her. Then she said, "I've already told you, sensei. I'm not their teacher." She didn't try to pull away, and Kakashi counted that as a win.

"Now, now. Let's not bog ourselves down with semantics," Kakashi replied as his eyes scanned the area for a place to eat. "How do you like donburi?"

Saya didn't reply to that, but she didn't resist when he guided her over to a donburi restaurant nearby. It was just one of those common shops found in Rice Country, serving some form of meat on rice and not really a place to bedazzle a woman into giving him the information he needed. Saya, however, made no protest. It was only after they were seated that she spoke again. "Should I wait or can we talk now?"

"Now is alright," Kakashi replied just as the waiter came by their table with the menu. He didn't as much as look at it before he ordered. Saya, on the other hand took a moment before ordering a bowl of katsudon. Her eyes were back on him the instant the waiter left.

"So, are you going to tell me why Naruto left the village?" she asked.

Kakashi briefly wondered what kind of bargain should he put forth, but knew that at least he should tell her something first. "It's complicated, Saya-san." He paused. "What do you know about Naruto's life before he left Konoha?"

She briefly narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Nothing, really. He wouldn't say a thing. I gathered that he's an orphan and that he was made a jinchuuriki very early in his life, but that's the only thing I'm sure of."

He nodded. Really not much indeed. Kakashi wondered why. "Naruto grew up mostly alone in Konoha. He was set up with some family when he was a baby, but somehow they figured out that he is the vessel. He was sent from family to family afterward, but none of the arrangements ended well."

"So he was ostracized," Saya said offhandedly, but her eyes were stone-cold and contemplating. It was only then that he realized the depth of the emotional bond between the two. Saya was not just loyal to Naruto. For some reason, she was emotionally invested. This was not an arrangement of benefit at all. A part of him was glad about that.

"Pretty much," Kakashi replied. Their order came, and the conversation came to a pause, a breathing room for Kakashi to think. But all he could think of was his own curiosity. "How was it like for him in Sound?"

Saya lifted her eyes from her chopsticks to him, quietly reading him, before saying, "Some things were better, I guess. He was accepted by some, hated by others. But you know Naruto. He doesn't care about pleasing people."

"Or rather, not pleasing _all _of them," He added as he broke his own chopsticks as well. "There are some people he likes, aren't there?"

She paused again after taking her first bite, chewing a little too slowly. "I wouldn't know." Kakashi could smell a lie from the other side of the table.

"The point being he isn't someone who completely ignores other people, not when he was in Konoha at least." That statement seemed to make her perk up. "He had it rough in the Academy, but once he became a genin, he started to make friends. With them, Naruto became stronger. For a time, I thought things were going well."

"But they weren't."

"No. One of his friends rejected him."

She frowned. "Are you telling me that Naruto left the village he grew up in because of a friend's rejection?"

Kakashi lifted his eyebrow. "Is it so hard to believe? For a boy who used to have nothing, a rejection is rather hurtful."

"I understand that. But he was ostracized before, and if he had more bonds than he used to, then why would he leave for a place where he knew no one?"

Kakashi sighed. He wished he knew the answer to that. He would have been able to prevent Naruto from leaving. He just knew that his kids didn't have typical friendships, and the unusual intensity might have been the reason that the fallout was as devastating as it was. "They weren't normal friends."

To his surprise, Saya's eyes widened. He was struck by the sudden, unguarded surprise on her face. Her lips formed into a silent 'oh' as she stared at him, unable to form words. When she did, she said, "Naruto had liked someone."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Don't we become friends with people we like?"

Saya blinked, and her expression went from surprise to exasperated. Kakashi frowned. Had he missed something? "Sensei," she began, "what exactly did you mean when you said that they weren't normal friends?"

"I mean they were very close," Kakashi said. He still felt like he was missing something. "Unusually so," he added.

Saya nodded. "So perhaps Naruto's feelings went deeper than normal friendship with this person. When he was rejected, it hurt in the way it otherwise wouldn't have if they were just friends." She paused. "To be honest with you, that still doesn't make sense to me. If he was so heartbroken, he could have just avoided the person unless..." There was another period of silence that made Kakashi a little uneasy. He felt like she was seeing something he didn't. She turned to him again, and her eyes sharpened. "Who were your other students at the time?"

This conversation was beginning to thread the territory that Kakashi wasn't comfortable about. With her affiliation unknown, he couldn't possibly divulge the information regarding another Leaf shinobi, let alone something like the Uchiha massacre. He had to avoid discussing anything that wasn't about Naruto. "Why do you ask?" he said as nonchalantly as he could while eating his meal.

"Because that person was one of your students, wasn't it? Why else would Naruto have to go to such lengths to stop seeing them. He could have done a lot of things that don't involve leaving Konoha."

Kakashi sighed. "This is the reason I said it's complicated. I don't think that rejection was the whole story, but a good part of it. Naruto went through a lot as a child, so did this person. At first when I paired them up, things seemed to go well, but suddenly this boy turned his back on Naruto and everything just blew up."

When he looked up again, he found Saya staring at him in disbelief but this time with a tint of anger. "So you put two very damaged people together in the hope that they would heal each other. Well done, sensei."

He couldn't deny that her remark left a pang of guilt in his chest. Yes, he was probably wrong to have thought that Sasuke and Naruto would be able to care for each other. But hindsight was always easier than foresight and there was nothing Kakashi could do now.

"Who was he?" Saya asked with a little too much indifference, so that he had to wonder what she intended to do with the information. Not that he was going to give it away, or for free.

"If you want to know you will have to answer my question," he replied. She looked annoyed. "I only promised you that I will tell you why Naruto left the village. I didn't say I will name names."

She sighed but didn't protest. "Ask away, then," she said as she took another bite from her bowl.

Kakashi was almost gleeful, but he had to keep his cool. "First off, I have to tell you that I have little to no interest in the conflict between the Rice Daimyo and General Tsubaki. You can rest assured that I won't interfere with your plan to save this country from another civil war." At this, Saya's eyebrow rose, but she kept silent, so Kakashi continued. "I'm trying to contact a shinobi based in this country, so I'd appreciate it if you could let me know how to find him."

As he expected, Saya wasn't very keen on sharing the information. She finished another bite before saying, "Unfortunately, I'm not from Rice, so I can't possibly know, sensei."

"Maybe not currently," replied Kakashi, which earned him a stare. "You're originally from Rice Country, correct? I noticed back in Wind Country that your Sound accent sounded artificial, like you learned it from being there for a long time but it was not your native accent. I just realized from earlier that your Rice Country accent sounded more natural, although your enunciation was too precise for a commoner." Saya didn't reply, possibly considering how to refute his statement. Kakashi was sure there was little she could say to deny her origin. He wondered how Orochimaru had found her, what the circumstance would have been like for a Lady of the Rice Country court to join a disreputable hidden village. But he knew better than to ask from how defiant she looked. "What I want to say is I understand that there are things at stake for you here, and I don't intend on destroying your plan. We are not enemies here, Saya."

The kunoichi looked at him levelly and said, "I don't have any plan for this place, sensei."

Kakashi sighed. "You can't possibly think I'm going to believe that."

"I have no fondness for Rice Country," she said. The ease in which she said it made him think twice. "I don't feel fondness or affiliation with any place in particular. I don't care what happens to any of them, to be honest."

"Then why?" Kakashi muttered. Meddling with a country's politics was not something that could be done on a whim. If she didn't intend to intervene, then who did?

Saya shrugged. "Naruto asked me to."

Kakashi found himself rather speechless. "Naruto?"

"You seem surprised."

"But why?" Naruto had no tie to Rice Country. It didn't make sense for him to step in.

"You think because he has no connection to this place, he doesn't care," she said. Her chopsticks rummaged aimlessly in her food. "And for the most part, you'd be right. He doesn't care for the general or the daimyo. As far as he is concerned, they are assholes. What he does care about is the consequence of their conflict, possibly more than the two of them ever do."

Kakashi couldn't say he was entirely surprised, not that he expected Naruto to become the people's fighter or something of the like. He remembered back in Wave Country where Naruto had asked about Zabuza and Haku, had wept for them. Naruto could care a great deal for people he didn't really know. Kakashi had to reign in his emotions thinking about those times. He had many regrets about Naruto, things he wished he had seen or known, but none of that was helpful now. He had to concentrate on the fact. And the fact was it didn't make sense that Naruto should choose Rice Country. There were many small countries in the continent, each struggling in their own ways. He could have gone anywhere. Unless there was something else here, something that drew him in.

Then something clicked. Naruto worked, in name at least, for Tsubaki, who allegedly was the only person who hired shinobi. He was also rich enough to support a group of shinobi if he wanted to, and Noboru was a shinobi in need of some support. He also had the one thing that was the most powerful tool of all: an information network.

"You are here for Noboru, aren't you?" he said. Saya's eyes snapped to his face in what looked like a start. Kakashi reacted quickly and grabbed her hand from across the table, preventing her from leaving. He knew he'd got it right. This was the underneath of the underneath.

He had his lead.

/***/

Sasuke was alarmed when Shino showed up at his and Sakura's room and told him that Kakashi needed to see them immediately. There weren't many things that the jounin, as resourceful as he was, couldn't deal with himself. Asking for backup meant Kakashi was in a tight spot, but Shino wouldn't tell them anything. The long walk across town to Kakashi's lodging only served to agitate Sasuke even further. They couldn't run over rooftops, which would have saved time but would certainly expose them to whoever might be watching. He began to think that splitting up to cover different areas might not have been a brilliant idea after all.

His relief only came when he was able to see Kakashi, whole and uninjured. Then his eyes fell on the figure next to his teacher. It was a woman with long brown hair sitting on the floor with her hands tied behind her back. Shino's bugs were crawling all over her, sucking on her chakra to weaken her. It took him a moment to remember who she was.

Kakashi took one look at his expression and said, "You are acquainted."

"We met once," replied Sasuke, "in the Vault."

Kakashi eye's widened. "I see."

Sasuke let his eyes drifted back to Saya. The only reason she would be here was because the Scums had a substantial connection to Noboru. Kakashi wouldn't have captured her otherwise. The jounin had made clear to them that they were going to stay clear of the Scums if they could help it. No need for further complication by involving a jinchuuriki in the mission.

Now it seemed that they wouldn't be able to avoid each other for much longer. Sasuke didn't know what to feel about it. "I take it that you weren't able to interrogate her," he said, directing his attention to the situation at hand.

Kakashi sighed. "Not in a nice way, no." He chanced a glance at her from the corner of his eyes. "Low-level genjutsu doesn't work on her. I need you to try _that_."

Sasuke stiffened. He only needed one look at Kakashi to know he was absolutely serious with his request, and that made Sasuke nervous. This would be the first time he would try this jutsu on an enemy, the jutsu that he had only intended to use on Itachi. For Kakashi, who knew the full detail of the jutsu, to be asking this meant that he believed Saya to be holding vital information.

"Very well," he replied. "Do we need to gag her?"

Sakura looked alarmed. "What?"

"She's tough, but we'll do that just in case," Kakashi said, his mask of indifference left unperturbed. He simply reached for a knotted gag and place it around Saya's mouth. She didn't resist. She wasn't making any eye contact with them, not cowing in any way, but she didn't fight back at all. It unnerved him to see her being moved around like a doll even when he knew what she was doing. Jiraiya had told him about a practice shinobi employed when they became prisoners of war. They wiped out their emotions, let their minds turn blank, and made themselves devoid of agency. Kakashi had told him that by the last war, the practice was no longer common outside of ANBU and high-ranking ninja. It seemed that Orochimaru had kept it very much alive in Sound.

Once the gag was securely on, Kakashi gave him the signal. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and made eye contact with Saya.

In an instant he was in. He could feel resistance on her part, but she largely did not try to stop him. She didn't let him access the information freely either, constantly trying to direct him elsewhere. He admired how agile her mind was, going after one trivial thing to another. In other cases, it would have made it hard for him to extract anything, but he wasn't here for extraction. He wasn't a Yamanaka. Diving directly into the mind was not his forte.

He quickly grabbed on to the oldest memory she had that bubbled to the surface. Chakra lesson. Instead of letting her being the one to open up another memory, he put his focus on this particular one and looked for context. Where did the lesson happened? How old was she? Who taught her?

To his surprise, she was thirteen, quite old for training. Her teacher was Orochimaru, and the surrounding was the Rice Country court.

She had watched the man being led to the daimyo's court, pale skin with long, unkempt hair. He was a creature she had never seen before: a man both masculine and feminine, and a shinobi. Back then, She did not understand what he came here for, but he had chosen her for the test. He had taught her the secret of chakra. He had praised her for being able to control it in half a day. He was the only one smiling when she showed her skill to the court. None of the courtiers smiled, especially not her father.

Her father invoked in her an anxiety, the feeling of inadequacy, and frustration. Sasuke quickly grabbed onto those feelings and dove into the memories.

Again, he found them to be about the Rice Country court. There were hours of her sitting through flower arrangement classes, of being told that she could not possibly understand the complexity of war or politics. Her taking up a spear was a cause for mockery and scorn. Her mother cried in disgrace when she beat her older brother in a spar, although he was in fact the one who challenged her. Her father - a warrior, a general, a man of great dignity - was humiliated for having a daughter so indelicate, so unbefitting of a lady of the court. She had no friend but the spear in her hands, the only thing her father had taught her when she was very younger. She had never known why he did so, only that he was spiteful of her love for it.

Sasuke recognized a crack in an armour for what it was. Quickly, he began formulating his genjutsu, blocking out the senses as he replaced them with a world he created. Around her was no longer a little hotel room, but the court of Rice Country. She was no longer a grown woman but an adolescent girl in a juunihitoe, the dress she found so restrictive and undignified. The daimyo was there, judging her as he did the day Orochimaru had come to court. Beside the man was her father, looking at her in disdain. Faceless courtiers sat along both side of the hall. The place was filled with giggles and whispers.

Sasuke watched as she was told to perform the basic jutsu she had learned and failed time and time again. He watched as she was bombarded by ridicules and disappointments. Now and again, the daimyo or her father would ask about Noboru. Did she associated herself with such a lowly life like a ninja? Such disgrace she had brought to her family. She could not be a proper woman, let alone a proper kunoichi. Then she was told to try the jutsu again, over and over.

As he was waiting for her to finally break, she suddenly stopped in the middle of performing a jutsu. Then, to his surprise, she turned and looked directly at him. Sasuke started. She shouldn't be able to see him in this genjutsu world. And in a blink of an eye, the genjutsu was broken.

He heard Kakashi mutter "What the..." from beside him as he regained his breath. Saya was not any better. Her face was scrunched as she breathed hard, clearly in distress. Her hands were still tied behind her back.

"She used the handless jutsu," Sakura whispered. Kakashi's attention snapped to her immediately. "The spy we captured did the same thing with Kurenai-sensei's genjutsu." She paused before adding, "We thought it was a one-off thing."

Kakashi looked back at Saya and said, "Evidently not." He paused before turning to Shino. "Get Hinata and Kiba immediately."

Shino nodded and was about to leave when Sasuke stopped him. "No, we don't need Hinata or Kiba," he said. Sakura looked at him and was about to protest when he added, "You're right, Kakashi, she's tough. We might even need Ibiki if we want to break her."

Kakashi looked at him and he saw realization in his eyes.

"Or you can let me get the information we need," he added.

Both Kakashi and Sakura stiffened. She knew what he was about to do, but he doubted she knew why Kakashi was against it. He couldn't extract information from a guarded mind like a Yamanaka, but there was no mind without a backdoor. As long as he could enter a mind, he could find a way, although it might take too long to be safe.

But in the end, Kakashi nodded. "Don't exert yourself too much," he said. Sasuke nodded, grabbed Saya's chin, reactivated his Sharingan, and dove back in.

He tested out the access to more recent memories of Rice Country but found them blocked by increasingly nonsensical trains of thoughts. But that didn't matter. He quickly switched to her first meeting with Orochimaru, calling back the memory and tracing it until he could reach Otogakure. From there he quickly searched for any recognition of the name Noboru.

The first thing he found was a memory from a mission outside of Oto. Noboru was just fifteen back then. His young face looked grim as he listened to the briefing. Sitting next to him were the spy and a blond boy who always chatted excitedly with them.

Naruto.

His heart clenched, but he reigned himself in. Noboru. He had to focus on Noboru.

From that memory, he searched for a more recent connection. If they came across each other just recently, there had to be a recollection connecting it back to their shared past. What he found was a phrase: _Information is power. _It was she who told the boys back in the day. It was Noboru who said that to her in the recent time.

Sasuke knew then that he'd found the back door and grabbed onto it with all he had. It led him right into a memory of the white stone walkway. Noboru looked years older now, and distinctly more content. He quickly memorized his face before letting the memory move forward. Noboru led them in. Noboru knew Tsubaki, worked for him. _Don't screw this up, Naruto_.

Sasuke paused. He knew they weren't there simply to pledge their service to Tsubaki. They had their own agenda even before they knew what Tsubaki wanted. They were going to play him from the start. Sasuke knew he didn't need to see all of this, but he couldn't resist it. He let the memory play out and watched Naruto's exchange with the general, grudgingly admiring how the blond was holding his own against the older man. At the same time, he was feeling the protectiveness and well-concealed anxiety that came with the memory, the emotions she felt every time Naruto walked into a dangerous dealing like this.

The emotional connection snapped the memory back to Sound before Sasuke could control it. There was Naruto, paled from the loss of blood in a mission gone wrong. She was worried and furious. He'd disobeyed her order and almost got himself killed. His only defence was "But the kids-"

The memory snapped again. She was watching Naruto hugging Orochimaru - the Snake and the Fox, both equally cunning and equally dangerous, playing the grievous game that could tear them both asunder. She wondered sometimes if this was the right way, if her condoning this was leading both of them to their doom. But she knew there was no right way. Orochimaru would not change, being too old and too set in his way to turn around. But Naruto was different. Maybe with Naruto it would be different.

Sasuke had to stop himself. A part of him wanted to see all this, wanted to understand what it meant, but he knew his time was running out. He had to go back to Noboru and figure out where he was and what he was doing. He got back to the memory of the compound. She left the compound with the Scums as soon as Lady Fuyuku was captured. Noboru wasn't there. Noboru knew nothing of this. Naruto saw them off. She placed a hand on his chest and told him to be careful. He nodded and smiled, assuring her that he would be all right on his own.

Before that were memories of meetings with Noboru about Akatsuki and jinchuuriki, and about stealing the princess, of days spent trying to come up with a plan that would satisfy what Naruto wanted, of watching Naruto testing out the Yokai outfit and wondering if it was too much. Naruto smiled and said it would be fun before putting on the white mask and growling playfully like the teenage boy he was.

Again, Sasuke felt the frustration and sadness inside him rise. He had never seen Naruto smile like that except in memories from Sound. Naruto had never smiled like that when he was in Team Seven, not with the softness around his eyes that told Sasuke he was happy. All Sasuke had was a memory of a Naruto who was sullen, self-conscious, and scared, who was always hiding something. And that thought made his heart hurt.

Suddenly, he felt the connection terminate, and the next thing he saw was the surface of the tatami mat. His arms kept him from falling face first to the floor, but it took all his energy to keep himself up. Saya wasn't faring much better. Her body swayed and fell sideways before Kakashi caught her.

Sasuke could feel his concentration slip, and the world began to shift in and out of focus. He knew he had to report now or risk losing consciousness before he could do so. "Noboru and Naruto are in Tsubaki's compound. The rest of the Scums are protecting the location of the princess. She was going to meet him before you met her."

Sasuke could vaguely make out Kakashi nodding. "Good work, Sasuke," he said before lifting Saya's limp body away. Another pair of hands came to support him, helping him up on his feet even though he could barely stand, and took him to a futon. He fought to stay awake, but he could hardly keep his eyes open anymore. His brain was overtired and overloaded, filled with experience that was not his own. The last thing he heard was Kakashi giving out an order to Shino, "Tell Kiba and Hinata to follow the scent trail from general Tsubaki's compound immediately. You join them as well. We'll catch up with you guys tomorrow."

/***/

Running around Rice Country without proper supply was a bit rough, but not the roughest in Naruto's experience. At least Rice Country was a plentiful place, and he could get almost everything he needed from the forest. It was just that the forest was scarce here compared to Fire or Sound since the lands were mostly used for agriculture. So as soon as Naruto got a hold of Juugo, they stopped by an old Sound base, now run by Noboru's people. It was just a storage cache, but it had everything he needed for the trip ahead.

"Are you sure it is alright to take things from here?" Juugo asked as he stood guard by the entry way.

"Think of it as trading, Juugo," Naruto said as he took a pack of water purification tablets and a small stainless-steel cooking pot. He only had enough time to pack his clothes, weapon, money, Saya's documents, and a water canteen with a few tablets with him. The rest he left at the compound where Noboru could surely make use later.

Juugo still looked ill at ease. His gaze kept going outward restlessly. Naruto thought it was just his agitation from coming into contact with humans again until he noticed that Juugo was shifting his head, listening to something.

Naruto quickly packed up the supplies and walked back out to the entrance. "What's wrong," he asked, trying to see if there was something around, but saw nothing.

"The birds," Juugo said. "They are talking about strange moving humans in the forest southeast of here."

Naruto frowned. "Shinobi?" Weren't the birds used to ninja moving in the forest by now considering that Noboru's people had been around?

"Likely," said Juugo. "They come in groups of three and four."

It dawned on Naruto then why the birds found them weird. Noboru's people moved in one or two, not three or four. "Leaf," Naruto muttered. He was sure there were six in the daimyo's court. Was there another one he'd missed? In any case, that wasn't what he worried about the most at the moment. "Keep your ears on them. We'll check in with Suigetsu first."

Juugo nodded and they moved out again, heading further west as fast as they could. They were running out of time. If they didn't show up, Suigetsu would assume something was wrong and go to either Saya or Karin for backup. That was the system Saya devised so that they could keep trouble in check without being in constant contact with each other.

They crossed the rice field on a small stream to avoid their scent being detected. It was not the easiest run for Juugo who still slipped a few times into the water. Naruto thought he made reasonably good progress, though. Naruto remembered having a much harder time learning to walk on water, probably because Jiraiya was a lousy teacher.

Juugo led them to the designated point of contact, a shrine for the gods of the rice field situated on the side of a hill. There were a few people when they arrived, some with offerings of food and rice wine. Juugo explained that they would be harvesting the fields soon, so they were here to pray for dry weather and good harvest. At first, it sounded like an odd place for Juugo and Suigetsu to be meeting, until Naruto realized that it was the perfect place to hide among the crowd. Their scent would be mixed, any footprint messed up. It looked more natural for them to be here than in the middle of nowhere.

So Naruto walked to the shrine like all the other visitors and paid his respect as well. A man walked up to his side, paid respect to the gods, then said, "Didn't think I was going to see you here, Boss."

"Situation changes," he replied before throwing a coin at the feet of the statue. Apparently, that was the way to pray for a good price. "Leaf was in contact with Tsubaki. Juugo said they're on the move to the south. We don't know yet what they're after, but it looks like they're in a chase."

"Sounds like we should wrap up and get out of here before trouble comes our way," Suigetsu said. "Did you get Tsubaki to pay up?"

Naruto scowled. "Of course I did. That guy's a miser, though. Freaking stringy."

Suigetsu chuckled. "I don't think he likes you very much."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Suigetsu continued, "Tsubaki and the daimyo have made conjoint moves recently. I think we've done what we can."

As much as Naruto would have loved to watch everything pan out, he had to admit that Suigetsu had a point. If Tsubaki and the daimyo were finally cooperating, they had at least averted a national crisis. He made a quick glance around the shrine and felt a small satisfaction as he watched a grandfather and a child praying next to an offering of grain. At least these people would be all right. There was nothing else he could have done for them at this point. "You're right. Let's get everybody and move out."

The three of them were walking to the entrance of the shrine when they spotted Karin running up the stairs. She saw them and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods." She ran up to Naruto and gave him a big, strong hug, something that was not typical for a fully sober Karin.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked after he managed to extract himself from her arms.

Karin took a breath before saying, "Saya hasn't checked in. She said she was going to check on you the last time we talked so I thought the two of you might-"

"She was going to what?" Naruto exclaimed. "Fuck!"

An old man chided him for his language on the sacred ground. Naruto took a brief moment to apologize but quickly turned back to Juugo. "You said there were seven of them in total, right?" he asked. Juugo nodded. That was all the confirmation Naruto needed.

Leaf got Saya. And Naruto was going to raise hell to get her back.

/***/

End of Chapter 32

**A/N:** Saya's backstory (and come to think of it, her character too) is largely inspired by the women of Samura Hiroaki's _Blade of the Immortal (Mugen no Juunin),_ a manga of brilliant semi-realistic artwork, honest depiction of violence, absence of any moral high ground, and most relevantly the unabashed portrayal of sexism in the bushido-driven feudal Japan. The stuffs he put his characters through, especially the female variety, make my stomach turn inside out.

** endless night** Rest assure that this fic is still alive (the writer and the editor is another story). I hope you'll like what is to come.

** christinetjorel milkytoast** Here you are! I'm slow at the moment because I have to pump out the next arc. Stay tuned.

** Lady Spain** Thank you! Being interesting is awesome for me. Sasuke being lovesick is kind of amusing, isn't it?

** Egyptian Dreamer** Yeah, it's so slow I'm sure some of my readers are frustrated by now, but the reason is, as you said, the boys can't be together yet. They have their own issues they need to sort out first. But, well, it also depends on what you mean by 'being together', too. It's a long road to a healthy, balanced relationship. It's shorter road to an intimate but destructive one.

** anon** Thanks! I hope you like this update.

** throatcore** Hello! It's great to hear from you again. I'm glad you like the story thus far. With Kiba, Hinata, and Shino, I honest found what I think are the best use of their abilities in this arc, too. I mean, aren't they the perfect surveillance team? And I'm excited to have Kakashi and Sakura meeting Naruto again, too. I still can't figure out a situation for Jiraiya to meet Naruto, though.

** AresWinchester** Thank you for your kind comment! I hope you enjoy this one, too.

** emma. ** We'll get there soon. Really, really soon.

** RavenPainter** Gods, I hope I can continue to convince you that I know what I'm doing. I love good plots, but I was never good at making mine worked until this story (Thank goodness). Thank you for your continual support! :)

** Skyrere** A response is always welcome, so feel free to give me one, or many. I'm glad you like the story for this arc and Saya's role in it. I mean, it's kind of her arc, too, in some ways. I hope you'll like where this is going. :)

** korohoshi** 'especially in sexy no jutsu' Haha, you're probably right on that, unless Naruto decided to channel his ex (which would be creepy and twisted on soooo many levels). The Scums and Leaf are on collision course now, so Sasuke's test will be coming up soon.

** guest** *sniff sniff* Is there a smell of KibaHinata, or is it a smell of a complicated web of feelings? Stay tuned to find out! XD

** davycrockett100** Thanks, bro!


	33. Chapter33:How Big,How Blue,How Beautiful

**A/N:** Aaaaand I'm back with a new chapter!

Warning: everything in this chapter is original. I'm trying my hand on creating my own characters and story. So, no, the chapter's title is not a reference to Naruto's eyes. Do let me know what you think.

This chapter exists in its refined form because of Ashimodo. Cheers to da man.

**Chapter 33: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful**

The first thing that greeted her was an endless stretch of blue, untainted, unperturbed, and pure. For a long moment, she simply stared at it in fascination. It was called the sky. She knew this as puffs of white flew across the cerulean canvas. Those were clouds, and clouds were shapeless, playful, joyful, free.

She didn't know how long she lay there watching the clouds changing shape when she heard sounds. Footsteps, her mind supplied in a rush. They were human, not horse. Horses had hooves, creating dull clicks as they hit the hardened earth. Horses were beautiful, powerful, strong.

"Nee-san!" she heard a voice call her, a boy's. She turned her head and saw him running towards her with his feet bare. Indeed, it was a boy. He was short, with short hair and short trousers. . Girls didn't wear shorts or trousers, and girls didn't have short hair. Girls had long hair, silken smooth and soft to touch.

"Are you alright, nee-san?" the boy asked as he stood beside her panting, gasping for air. Boys ran. Girls didn't, couldn't with their legs wrapped inside layers of kimono. She noticed then that his skin was dark and shining with sweat. Hers wasn't. Hers was pale, like the clouds.

"Isao, is she alright?" another voice called, deeper, a man's. She turned to look at him. Unlike the boy, he walked slowly. His hip raised awkwardly as he put his left foot forward. His left foot was contorted, battered. His right was steady and sure.

"Yes, Tou-san, but she looks very confused," the boy shouted back. He turned to her with a large smile on his face. A smile was happiness and friendliness. "What's your name, nee-san?"

She opened her mouth but there was no answer. She knew names were important. Names told people who they were. A name is a person encapsulated into a single word. That was why people had names. She didn't have one.

"She looks confused indeed," said the man. He crouched down awkwardly next to her. "Can you speak?" he asked.

She blinked and answered, "Yes."

"I thought she was mute or something," said the boy. Isao. His name was Isao. Names were important.

The man poked the boy and chided him for being rude. The boy made a face of displeasure and rubbed his side but didn't complain. The man turned to her. "So, what is your name?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. He frowned, confused. Of course, he would. People had names, but she didn't. She was strange, weird, abnormal, wrong.

But he just looked at her and asked, "Do you know where you come from?"

She blinked and thought, but she couldn't remember a place. She knew places had names, too, because they were also important. "I don't know," she said, shaking her head.

The man's brows knitted together. His brows were dark and thick, a rather strange set of brows. "Do you remember anything from before you woke up?"

She felt her brows drawn to each other, mimicking the man's. The first thing she saw was the endless blue, but before that there was something. She knew there had to be. But as she thought back, a stab of pain shot up her head, hot like fire. Her body caved forward as she remembered the void, the bottomless nothingness, the endless black.

"-an -ou hear me?" she heard a voice, faint, the man's. "Hey, can you-"

She didn't want to go back to the void, but she did.

/***/

The second sight that greeted her was the light brown pattern, crisscrossed by dark brown lines. It took a while for her to realize that the she was looking at bundles of grasses stacked to make a roof. The dark brown lines were wooden beams, unpainted, honest and bare. She also smelt burnt wood, and it reminded her of fire, a bonfire so bright it obscured all vision. It obscured a woman-

A shot of pain went up her head again, and she let out a cry. Her head felt like it was hit over and over until she could do nothing but roll to the side and scream in tears. The void was further away now, but nonetheless present, nonetheless frightening. She didn't know how to get away from it. She was scared. The void had taken her name and the name of her home. It might take her, too.

"Shhh, imouto," said a voice, deep and calming. A calloused hand ran through her hair in soothing rhythm. Slowly, the void began to fade away, and the pain lessened. Her tears hadn't stopped yet, but her head wasn't pounding anymore. She was glad.

She heard a sliding sound and footsteps approaching. The hand moved away, and she let out a moan. She heard, "Tou-san, what did you do again?" Through her tears, she could see Isao, hands on his hips looking disgruntled.

She blinked away the tears and looked for the hand. Her eyes met the long rough hand, as dark as the boy's skin. The hand was lifted and disappeared into the kimono sleeves as the man folded his arms. "And why does it have to be my fault?"

The boy lifted his chin and was about to say something when another man walked into the room. He was shorter than the first man and bigger. His hair was grey."Now, that's no way to speak to your father, Isao," the old man said, and the boy huffed. The old man then turned to her, and she pulled up the blanket around her, needing to hide. The old man let out a puff of breath and smiled gently. "Now, now, there is no need to be afraid."

"She got another attack just before you came in," said the man as he moved away to let the old man sit beside her. "She seemed to have pain in her head."

The old man nodded, but he continued to look at her. "I am a doctor," he said. "Do you know what a doctor is?"

She shook her head. She didn't want to think. Thinking was painful.

"I cure people," he said," I fix what is wrong with them. Now, Isao said you don't remember anything, including your name. Is that true?" She nodded. He nodded in return. "That means there might be something wrong with your head, child. Can I have a look?"

She was reluctant, but there was nothing else she could do. This old man said he fixed people. He could fix her, give her back her name and make the void go away. He asked her to get up, and she did so before letting him feel around her head.

"Hmmm, no injury," he mumbled. "Nothing old and nothing new. This is strange."

Her heart sank. So he couldn't tell what was wrong with her? He couldn't tell her who she was?

The doctor then asked if she felt pain anywhere else. She shook her head. He asked whether he could see her without the clothes. She froze then. Letting a stranger see her naked body didn't feel right, but what if that would help her get back her name? As she sat still, she heard the man cough loudly. As she looked up, she saw him motioning his son out of the house. The boy seemed confused at first until his father dragged him out by the ear with a loud bang as the door shut behind them.

The old man sighed with a smile. "Don't mind them. This house hasn't had a woman for a long time, that's all. Isao didn't intend to be inconsiderate, and Hideo is always a little rough with the boy. Tough love, they say."

She nodded, not quite comprehending what the doctor was trying to say. The old man then asked if she would be more comfortable taking just the top off. She nodded again and pulled down the shoulders of her kimono, feeling less exposed than she thought but unsettled nonetheless.

"No injury. No scar," he muttered as she pulled the clothes back on. "Perfectly healthy."

She felt nervous again. "So you can't fix me?" she asked. Her voice shook.

The doctor shook his head. "Not right away. I will have to consult with my colleagues, but they are in the big cities. This will take time." Then he shouted for Isao and Hideo to come back in. "No injuries," he told them. "Either this amnesia is a product of purely psychological trauma, or she has a medical condition I have no knowledge of. I will have to inform the Dogo and see if we can get someone from the city to have a look at her."

Hideo's face looked grim as he looked at her and back to the doctor. "How long will it take?"

The doctor shrugged. "A week if we're lucky. Months if we're not," he said as he stood up. "She will need a place to stay until then. I would have suggested the Dogo's if not for the fact that someone might come looking for her."

Isao frowned. "Why? Isn't that a good thing?"

"Psychological trauma, Isao," Hideo said. "Someone might intend to harm her."

The frown disappeared from the boy's face, and his expression changed. His jaw set. "She'll stay here, then, Tou-san."

Hideo turned sharply at his son. "Who is the master of this house again?"

"Because Tou-san will let her stay anyway," replied Isao. He grinned. "If she stays here, I can protect her from whoever is coming."

"Brat, you're not even thirteen yet," muttered Hideo.

"Well, shouldn't we ask her first?" said the old man before he turned to her. "Do you want to stay here, young lady? These two don't mind, but will you be comfortable living with just men?"

Isao was nodding frantically with a wide smile on his face, but then she heard Hideo clear his throat. Isao looked at his father and pouted. Hideo tilted his head slightly at his son before looking at her. His hands were visible now, resting on his upper arms as he loosely crossed them.

She nodded.

"Very good," said the doctor. "I'll let the Dogo know and see what we can do."

"Thank you, Shima-sensei," said Hideo. They said good-bye and Isao led the doctor out of the house. It was only after the third time the old man insisted that he could return home by himself that Hideo and Isao finally caved and both of them came back inside. The moment Hideo's eyes met hers, though, she suddenly felt nervous.

"Right," the man drawled. "Since you'll be staying for a while, there're a few things you need to know. First, there's no freeloader in this house. If you want to stay, you have to work." She swallowed then nodded. "It's harvest season, so there're plenty of work out there. It might be a little tough for you, but Isao will be taking care of you." The boy's head shot up at that. He stared wide-eyed at his father. Hideo went on. "So listen to what he says. Of course, if he slacks off, you can tell me. I'll deal with him." The boy pouted and muttered something about him never slacking off. "And lastly, use your voice. We wouldn't know if you need something or feel a certain way if you don't say it. Do you get it?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat as he stared at her. It took a while before she realized that he wanted her to speak. So despite how nervous she felt, she replied, "Hai."

/***/

The image that astounded her most was the sea of gold illuminated by the rising sun. The wind created a wave of shadow and light that looked as if it were moving from horizon to horizon, accompanied by the rustling of the rice brushing against one another. She could not find words to truly describe the magnificence in front of her. She had never seen a golden scene that could compare to this.

A slight headache warned her that she might have another attack, so despite wondering where she had seen a scene of gold, she stopped thinking about it. It was at this time that she noticed Isao calling her. He probably called a few times before she responded, too enraptured in the scenery. She also wasn't quite used to her new name yet. 'Motoko' sounded too strong, a little too masculine for her taste. She didn't know any other name she could use, though, so she accepted it. It was better for everyone if they knew what to call her.

So 'Motoko' was how Isao introduced her to the neighbours when they arrived to help with harvesting the crops. Yamada-san and his wife Maki both eyed her warily. She suddenly became very aware of her pale skin and her smooth hands. Hideo-san had told her that she was different, but she only understood then how much she stood out. All the other women had tanned skin and rather big, rough hands. Maki-san seemed most critical of her, always looking her up and down, as she led her to a group of woman fixing a few metal combs on the ground. They were going to thresh the rice, Maki explained, and proceeded to teach her how to use the thresher comb. The rest of the people got to work cutting the rice and drying it out in batches on the earth floor.

Threshing was hard on her hands. She could hardly get a good grip on the rice stalk, and the dried stalk and leaves would cut her skin when she pulled. She didn't dare tell anybody, though, since none of them seemed to have any problem. The women joked and laughed as they grabbed and pulled the rice through the metal combs with sure hands. She didn't know how to make a joke, didn't understand why certain things were supposed to be funny, so she didn't want to stand out even more by being this girl who couldn't work and just complained.

When they took a break for lunch, she was about ready to collapse. Her legs were sore. Her arms were in pain. And she had a kink in her back. The most painful part was her hands. She hid them in the sleeves of her kimono and asked for the direction of the closest stream. Water was cooling, and she hoped it would ease the throbbing, if just a little bit.

As she was submerging her hands under the water, a spot of light caught her eyes from the rocky bed. She frowned and slowly stood up, wondering if it was a trick of the light. She could still see the shiny thing, though, so she knew she wasn't imagining it. Seeing that the stream wasn't too deep, she took off her shoes and pulled up her kimono before taking a step into the water. Walking in water was harder than she first anticipated, especially as the water level rose almost to her knees. The water might be calm, but it still had some force. The rocks were also slippery and loose at places, making it hard to walk quickly. It took her some time before she could reach the spot where she saw something reflecting the light.

She bent down to pick it up, and a rock slipped under her feet. Her legs made loud splashes as she flailed, trying to find balance but only making things worse. She was sure she was going to fall into the water when an arm went around her waist and pulled her up. By then, her kimono was wet up to the thigh and her sleeves were damp, but she was grateful she was not fully drenched.

The hand slowly let go of her, and she cautiously turned around to see who it was. The man behind her had light blue hair - a rather odd feature, she thought. There was something familiar about him, something that threatened to bring back the void, but she deliberately tried not to let her thought go there.

"Umm, thank you," she said.

He smirked. "If you're really thankful, don't just walk into a random body of water again. You can get drowned even in shallow water, you know."

Well, it wasn't random, exactly. "I am just looking for something," she said.

His light-coloured eyebrows rose. "Really, what is it?"

She pointed to the shiny thing underneath the water, and he burst out laughing almost immediately. She frowned, not sure what was funny about it. "You do like shiny stuff, huh?" he said as he bent down, steady and sure, and picked a little triangle up from the rocky bed. He held the triangle up to her eyes. "Is this what you're looking for?"

She was about to open her mouth and tell him yes when his hand suddenly moved to the side. Her eyes inevitably followed, and all of the sudden she heard a shout, "Nee-san!"

Her head whipped to the direction of the sound, and there was Isao, standing by the bank. Worry marred his face. She didn't notice at all when he got there. "What are you doing in the water, nee-san?" he asked. She blinked, suddenly remembering the weight in her right hand. The sunlight caught the triangle-shaped metal beautifully.

"I saw this," she said as she carefully waded the water back to the bank, showing it to the boy. "What is it?"

Isao took one look at it and said, "It's an arrowhead." Seeing that she still didn't know what he meant, he added, "It's the tip of a weapon that flies through the air. It's used for hunting, mostly."

A weapon? She looked down at the object again and turned it in her hand. She could feel the sharp edges and the pointy end threatening to cut her skin, but otherwise it was just a beautiful little thing that she couldn't see doing anybody any harm.

"Nee-san!" Isao exclaimed as he pulled her hand to him. She realized then that her hands were full of scratches. "Where did you get these cuts?"

She shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to admit that she had problems with threshing the rice, but she didn't know what excuse she could give. Isao seemed to know anyway. He pulled her hand as he turned. "C'mon. We'll need to get you bandaged up."

She slipped the triangle into her sleeves and allowed herself to be guided away.

/***/

She actually forgot about the arrowhead in her sleeves the moment they got back to the field and was swarmed with questions. Where did she go? Why did she need to go there? So, inevitably, she needed to show them her hands. She got scolded by Yamada-san for not telling them sooner. She didn't really know what to say. She didn't want to be a burden, but it seemed to backfire spectacularly.

And just as she thought her little embarrassment would be kept on the field, Isao had to tell his father about it. The boy didn't really intend to, at least she didn't think so, but Hideo-san ended up knowing the whole story anyway. The man came back inside the house from their chicken coop and asked to look at her hands himself. She actually tried to hide them in her sleeves, but the arrowhead made itself known then and pricked her finger. Her little exclamation of surprise drew even more attention to herself, and Hideo-san went from exasperated to serious. "What's in your sleeve?" he asked in a tone that told her he wasn't going to tolerate any kind of lie or misdirection. So, carefully, she pulled out the arrowhead and handed it to him. She could see Isao's eyes widen as he realized what she had brought back with her.

She was sure Hideo-san didn't even look at the object properly before he picked it up and handed to his son. "Isao, throw this away." The boy didn't make a single noise in objection. He took the arrowhead and hurriedly ran out of the house like the thing was on fire. The boy's agitation made her nervous. She looked at Hideo-san, waiting to see what he had to say, but the man just let out a breath and said, "Don't bring strange things into the house." Then he told her to sit down so he could apply the salve to her hands.

A part of her wanted to ask for a reason why she shouldn't, but something in Hideo-san's demeanour made her hold her tongue. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't look her in the eye at all while tending to her hands. It was not like Hideo-san to do such a thing. Isao's behaviour didn't help matters, either. He was almost a little too attentive to his father. There was not a single grumble or groan when his father told him to take out the garbage after dinner. Something was wrong, and if Isao thought he shouldn't bring it up, she wasn't going to go against his judgement

It was while she was cleaning up the floor that Isao approached her. In his hand was the arrowhead hidden in an old handkerchief. "Don't let Tou-san see this, alright?" he whispered. "He doesn't like it."

She looked at the little triangle in her hand again, and she had to wonder what a piece of metal could possibly do. "Why?" she asked before tying it up and hiding it in her sleeves.

Isao sucked on the inside of his mouth, slowly contemplating her question, before he said, "There was a civil war once long before I was born. Our village was on a disputed land between two generals, so they fought here quite a lot." He took a deep breath. "Tou-san lost both his parents in that war. Someone told me they protected him from the soldiers' arrows while he tried to run away, so he only got hit on the foot." The boy swallowed. "Tou-san never told me what happened, though. He never talks about it because he tries to forget about it, so when something reminds him of that time he gets moody. Please don't be upset about that, alright?-"

The more he talked, the more his face contorted, and the more she could see into him. Isao was still a little boy no matter how much bravado he might have. And he was a little boy who loved his father dearly, who worshipped the man despite his irreverence. On impulse, she reached out and pulled the boy into her arms.

"You're a good son," she whispered. " Hideo-san must be very proud."

The boy's body suddenly stiffened up against her, as if unaccustomed to a hug, but then those small hands came up and clutched her sides. "Sorry, nee-san," he said with a loud sniff. "Don't... don't tell Tou-san about this, alright?"

She wasn't surprised by his tears, although she could not say she knew what they meant. Was it for his father, or for himself? Was it relief or pain? Was he waiting to hear from someone that he was worthy of being a son? She simply knew that a dam had broken, and Isao needed time to put it back together before he could face the world again. "I won't," she whispered, keeping her hands firm on his back. Her eyes, however, spotted a shadow of someone slipping out of the back door. The shadow staggered a few times before it was out of sight. There was no other sound as she stood there, waiting for what was to come.

/***/

To be honest, she didn't know what she should expect from Hideo-san, but she knew she expected something: a reaction, a look, a conversation, whatever his mode of communication might be. But nothing happened, not the next day or the day after or the week after. He acted like he didn't see his son little breakdown, and Isao was very keen on making the episode non-existing. The father and son pair were back in their routine, and it seemed that the only one frustrated by the whole situation was her.

By the end of the week, she was frustrated enough that Maki-san saw and asked, "Is there something wrong, Motoko-chan?"

She really didn't expect the question. Maki-san didn't seem the type to be bothered by someone else's business. The woman never asked about her situation with the amnesia. It seemed a little odd that she was interested in her now. "Nothing, Maki-san," she replied with a polite smile before turning back to cutting more rice stalks.

Maki-san sighed. "I know we are not exactly friends, but living with just men can be hard sometimes. If you have something you're worried about, you know you can always talk to us women, right?"

She blinked back, both surprised and touched by the offer. She didn't feel like she truly belonged with the women of the village, and she felt that the reason was justified. After all, she was nobody from nowhere. How could they trust her? And so, she'd never sought them out. There hadn't been a reason to, anyway.

But now she thought she had one, so she took Maki-san up on the offer. "Maki-san, why are men so reticent about their emotions?"

At that, the woman burst out laughing, causing the people nearby to jump in surprise. She then waved them off before urging everyone to keep working. "My, I presume Hideo has been difficult, hasn't he?"

She frowned. "How do you know?"

Maki-san's lips quirked into a knowing smile as she kept on cutting the rice stalk. "It's not a hard guess, is it? Between Isao and Hideo, you know who has problems with expressing himself."

She wouldn't quite agree with that, considering how much Isao deflected the topic of his breakdown as well. "They are like father like son, Maki-san. Isao has his moments, too."

At that, the woman seemed to sober up a little as she placed the stalks to dry. "I'm not surprised," she said before carrying on. "There's a saying around here that real men talk with actions. Hideo is special since he can't do much of the action either." She sighed. "Being as he is made him feel worthless, you know."

"Worthless?" she exclaimed. Of all people, Hideo-san was the last person she would think of as worthless. He raised his son by himself for years and had kept them both alive and well. The fact that he was crippled should have made him extraordinary, not unworthy.

Maki-san seemed to agree. "Shima-sensei said it's survivor's guilt," she said. "And I don't think it helps that the only good thing he has left now is Isao."

Their eyes drifted to the boy standing further away in the field, laughing along with another boy his age, oblivious to the heat of the sun. But Isao wasn't truly oblivious, was he? He acted like a carefree child here among the adults and an impertinent son with his father in part because that was expected of him. Hideo-san, with his contempt for sentimentality, didn't seem like someone who would handle being loved well. There was no other way that Isao could show his father that he cared. Or maybe not being sentimental was Hideo's way of not burdening his son. After all, he knew best what it was like to be his parents' last hope and dream, to carry their love and the burden of that love. Maybe he didn't want Isao to have to carry the same weight if something should happen.

She sighed. "Why are feelings so complicated?" she muttered.

She heard a sigh in reply from Maki-san as the woman went back to cutting rice. "We would have long solved all the problems in the world if we had known, Motoko-chan."

/***/

The house they lived in was small. Just a hall, a room, a kitchen, and an outhouse, and that was all there was. It was clean and well-maintained, but not much in anybody's eyes. There wasn't much privacy either, only the one given to each other by not intruding into the other's private moments.

She never intruded on Hideo-san's private time when he cleaned up the family shrine, but it was hard not to see what was inside even when she tried not to let her eyes stray. There was no god in there, just a small carved piece of wood made to be the resting place of the spirit of the dead. She was never told who it was in the cabinet, but she didn't need to be. The way Isao put a small bowl of food as offering in the evening was enough clue to her.

This evening, she was the one sitting in front of the shrine. She didn't make any offering of food or wipe away the dust. Those were the things for those two to do. She was just compelled to be here, in the presence of the one person that had always been a part of this house and of this family but who was no longer here.

She heard the sound of the door sliding shut and the staggering footsteps that came to a halt not far behind her. She could almost hear the question he didn't ask.

"I just want to say hi," she said to the silence. "I've been here for a while now, but I haven't greeted her yet."

Hideo-san made the last few steps and sat down awkwardly as he always did. "You don't need to," he said.

"I want to," she said. "It's rude to not at least acknowledge the mistress of the house, isn't it?"

His breath might have caught a little, but it was hard to tell as they sat in companionable silence, staring at the cabinet. The evening light touched the small altar in front of the carved wood, showing the outline of the elegantly engraved name. The hand was beautiful, but also hard to read, but she didn't mind. This name belonged to Hideo and Isao and was not a knowledge she wished to take against their will.

"Do you believe in the afterlife?" she asked, wondering why it bothered her so much.

There was a pause, a contemplation, before he said, "Either way, the living cannot meet with the dead. It's a question of which answer soothes the soul the person left behind."

She nodded. A practical answer from a practical man, and yet in front of her was the manifestation of his sentiment, of his love. "You still clean the cabinet almost every day."

He sighed. She could almost see his shoulders drooped in her mind's eyes. The silence stretched on, and she thought he wasn't going to say anything. After all, she didn't ask anything. It was just an observation on her part.

But then, he did. "I don't want to let her disappear. I still want Isao to have his mother here even if she wasn't here in the flesh." He took a deep breath. "I don't know if it has healed or harmed him. I know I can only be his father. I can only give him discipline, but otherwise-"

"And you've done your job well," she said, finally brave enough to face him. That was how she got to see the stunned expression on his face. He didn't know what to say.

Then his eyes left her face and fell to the ground. "I don't think so."

"As you said, Hideo-san, you can't be everything to Isao. Don't be so hard on yourself," she said with a smile. "I'm sure your wife would agree."

He snorted. "Not before she lectured me on it." The corner of his lips quirked up a little at the mention and his face softened slightly. He still loved her. She could see it. Then again, he still had the memory of loving her. It might fade with time, but it was still there. Without those memories, he wouldn't have been Hideo-san.

Come to think of it, she was the opposite of that, wasn't she? She had lost the person she had been along with the memory, and so it was now someone else in this body, in this mind, a woman named Motoko who was saved and cared for by this father and son. She was no one else.

Strangely enough, that thought no longer bothered her. The person that she had been was long gone. Like the dead, they could not meet, but unlike the dead that girl didn't leave a trace behind. She vanished, and that was the end of her.

It wasn't the end of Motoko, though.

She straightened her back up and bowed until her head touched the floor. "I'm Motoko. Please take good care of me, mistress."

She heard Hideo-san snort as she sat back up. There was amusement on his face before he said, "You can call her Hanae."

People shouldn't be able to smile and cry and the same time, but somehow she did.

/***/

End of Chapter 33

**A/N:**

**UndertaleLover2** Glad to hear you like it! The lack of action will remain there for a while, though. The boys just aren't ready for that yet.

**walkingonempty **Ah, thank you. I try my best to writing something interesting and it's always good to hear that you like it. Drop by soon!

**kamui5** *turn to look at the number of chapters in the draft* Ah, well, there's a way to go yet.

**Reign Of Sorrow** *sigh* Why, indeed.

**RavenPainter** Yes, I'm back!...Sporadically at least. I'm sorry it's taking this long for a new chapter, but it's getting hard to find a substantial chunk of time (and energy) to write new things, which is frustrating because I want to get Naruto and Sasuke together!

**guest** I hope you like another view into Rice from this chapter, a little more down to earth I would hope. Definitely check out "Blade of the Immortal" and let me know if you see a shadow of Ino, Sasuke, Itachi, and Kakashi somewhere in there. (I kind of see Sasuke and Itachi mixed together in one of the characters, and not only because he's a traditional Asian male beauty.) Kakashi is definitely one of the most unfortunate soul in the series full of unfortunate souls. We'll have to wait and see what might come out of this one.


	34. Chapter 34: Round and Round

**A/N:** Hi, everyone! I miss you all sooooo much. I'm sorry I'm so late in delivering this. I've been traveling for quite an extended period (for work and study), and I was too optimistic about what I might be able to get done there. To update you guys, I'm still writing the first draft of the next arc, which is turning out to be longer than I first anticipated. I wrote down the outline for it about half a year ago, but it turns out that every paragraph in that note is pretty much a chapter in the draft (even as I'm trying to cut down the details as much as I can and keep with the main storyline). So, again, sorry that the story is going to be late. And thank you so much for your patience and continuing support!

**Chapter 34: Round and Round**

Kakashi had barely slept before morning came. He had too many things on his mind and not enough information or time to think through them. From time to time, he would turn to the still figure on one of the futons. Saya slept like the dead after the interrogation with Sasuke, not that his student fared any better. Her peaceful face was in contrast to Kakashi's turmoil. Knowing now that the Scums had a connection to Noboru, he couldn't risk the chance of her warning the master spy about them. But if they didn't let her go, he might be putting their mission at a bigger risk. Naruto would come for her - that much he was sure of - but how was another story entirely, and Kakashi honestly couldn't predict what the blond would do. The Scums took neither side, swore loyalty to nobody, and they had no interest in the diplomacy. All this made handling the situation that much harder.

Kakashi was banking on time. Naruto did not know yet that Saya was captured since he'd fled the compound. Leaf just needed to find Noboru before the Scums found them.

So as soon as day broke, Kakashi woke everyone up to prepare for the journey ahead. Both Sasuke and Saya was much better than the night before having rested and all. But the kunoichi still didn't show any sign of being herself. She didn't resist when Sasuke bound her chakra with a seal. She didn't object when Sakura carried her. The only thing she said all morning was asking to use the toilet. It frustrated Kakashi more than he wanted to admit.

He put his feelings aside, however, and led his team deep into the forest. It took them just shy of two hours to find Kiba, Hinata, and Shino in the unfamiliar terrain. The three waited for them on the side of a small stream west of General Tsubaki's compound. They told him that the scent trail diverged there. One went north following the stream while the other crossed the creek and headed west. The three of them had surveyed the area. They didn't find anything definite to tell them which trail belongs to Noboru. Kakashi commended them on their decision to wait. Confronting Naruto was the last thing Kakashi wanted to do at the moment.

"What's up north?" Kakashi asked as he pulled out a map. They were in the middle of nowhere so using the map wasn't an accurate way of pinpointing the nearest village or road, but knowing whose territory they were in was good enough.

"Forest, mostly. And a small hamlet," Shino replied. "The west are rice fields once you exit the woods."

West would take them further away from Tsubaki's territory and rice fields made for lousy hideouts. So Kakashi decided that the place his would bet on the other route. "We go north. Kiba, I want you and Hinata fifteen meters ahead. I want you to give us the signal to stop if something is up ahead or if we're approaching people. Keep your eyes out for anything that can be used as a hideout. Don't engage. Shino, please take the prisoner with you. You'll be traveling with me. Sakura, I want you between Kiba and me. Make sure we don't get split up. And Sasuke, I'll need you to watch the back like before."

Sasuke didn't object, but he narrowed his eyes at him, the only sign that told Kakashi he had something on his mind. And the jounin knew what it was. They could split up here, one team heading north while the other going west, but that was too risky a strategy. They needed Saya for diversion if the Scums did catch up, and he honestly didn't know what Sasuke's reaction might be if he met Naruto again, or any of theirs, and that was too great a risk for him to take.

The trip was rather slow for the distance they were covering, but the jounin was taking no chances at this point. If Noboru were indeed in the hamlet, there would be shinobi around, and disturbing them was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't want to risk the chance of Noboru escaping them again after last time.

Fortunately, there was no disruption during the trip until they reached the village. Kiba only gave them the signal to halt when he caught a glimpse of a house. They regrouped there to assess the situation. "I'm getting more scent tracks," Kiba told him. "Some of them shinobi's"

Kakashi nodded, trusting Kiba on his observation. To Kiba, the smell was like another eyesight. He knew how many there were, he knew where they were, he knew roughly how old they were. Kiba told him that the scents were mostly recent but layered on top of some older ones, suggesting that shinobi had used this village as a meeting point. Kakashi nodded his acknowledgment before ordering them to split up. He, Kiba, and Shino would approach the target. Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke were to wait in the forest and guard Saya. Even with the commotion around her, the kunoichi still seemed disinterested in anything that was going on, and Kakashi felt another small pang of irritation.

The hamlet they happened upon was a far cry from the town they left behind. The houses were made of wood and hay and so weren't ideal for skipping on top. His team didn't have much choice but to pretend to be travelers, a great risk in Kakashi opinion since they might as well be walking into a trap. The people there seemed to be going about their business as usual, tending the gardens and animals and talking to their neighbors. Some of the villagers gave them puzzled looks as they walked by, not a reaction he expected from a place that was used to shinobi or any outside contact. It was entirely possible then that Noboru kept his people out of sight, but how? Kiba was getting scents from right in the middle of the road, so at least some of them had to come this way, right through the heart of the community.

The uneasy feelings intensified even further when they arrived at the other side of the village and found that the scent they were following, the most recent shinobi trail Kiba found, went right up a large tree. Kakashi couldn't wrap his head around what was going on. The tree was also right at an intersection where people walked about, so getting up there would have drawn attention, as a group of foreign travelers staring up a tree was doing now.

"I don't get it," Kiba frowned as he stared up to the branches. Kakashi had to take them to one side and find a place to sit down and regroup before somebody thought they were insane.

"Nothing is up there," said Shino, who sent out his insects to examine the place. "This is strange."

"The scents are everywhere," Kiba hissed. "I don't know how no one noticed. They've been crawling this place."

Kakashi blew out a breath. How, indeed. Using the cover of the night? Someone was still bound to see something. But he was getting sidetracked. They were here for Noboru. They only needed to focus on that. He ordered Kiba to pick up the trail again, and the dog-nin obeyed. He found Noboru's track and followed it to a small cabin at the edge of the hamlet. Other scent trials that were identified as shinobi didn't lead to here. The other trials nearby seemed to be from the locals. Even Kiba was unsure if they were at the right place.

"Well, I was sort of expecting a base or something," muttered Kiba. Kakashi shrugged. They were there anyway. Might as well check it out.

So he reached for the wooden door, and in that exact moment, it swung opened, revealing a middle-aged woman staring back at them in surprise.

"Oh, hi there. Thought I heard someone speaking," she said, looking back and forth between them. "Can I help you?"

Kakashi quickly gathered his wit and said, "Sorry for intruding, ma'am, but we were told to meet a man here at this cabin."

She looked at him oddly and said, "Well, there's no one here but me right now. Are you sure you are at the right place?"

Kakashi could feel Kiba tensing up beside him, an unmistakable moment of self-doubt, but Kakashi pushed forward, "Yes, I am quite sure."

Her brows furrowed further. "Who are you meeting if I may ask?"

"It's Noboru," Kakashi replied.

She shook her head. "Never heard of any Noboru around here."

Of course, he would have gone by some other name. That would help to weed off people who came looking for him for the wrong reason. "Would you mind if we have a look inside?" Kakashi asked with a smile, trying to project friendliness with all his might.

The lady looked skeptically between them and said, "Alright, it's not like there's anything interesting anyway." She moved aside and Kakashi peeked into the cabin. It was just one room filled with boxes and a well-worn table set against the barred window on the far end. There really wasn't much to see.

"Ah, we must apologize for intruding, then," said Kakashi as he pulled back. They said their goodbyes and walked back down the path they came from, puzzled by the conversation. Kakashi didn't doubt that they were at the right place - he trusted Kiba's sense of smell - but what could have gone wrong?

Then suddenly Kiba started like someone just slapped him. "Shit," he swore under his breath.

"What is it?" asked Shino who looked concerned even with the sunglasses on.

"The scent!" Kiba nearly shouted. Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "That old lady has his scent on her."

"She was in the room," replied Shino. "If he was in there-"

"No, no. The scent in a room has to be really strong to get on another person like that. His was faint in that room. She didn't get his scent from there, but from somewhere he had been staying and only very recently." He paused. "He must have stayed with the old lady."

"Are you saying the lady conspires with him?" Kakashi asked. He didn't like where this was going.

But Kiba looked certain. "It might not be just the lady, Kaka-sensei. We might be in the middle of a fucking shinobi village."

/***/

Sakura was getting more and more restless by the hour. It wasn't just because she was waiting for the other team. Saya was getting to her, too. The kunoichi had been staring blankly at nothing for as long as they had been there. A part of Sakura just felt that it was unnatural for someone to react that way. It was like Saya had lost her will. She would only drink or eat if offered. Otherwise, she would just sit there wasting away. Sakura found that to be a direct contradiction to everything she thought of as being alive and that deeply unsettled her.

"You're staring again," came a voice that jolted Sakura out of her thoughts. She looked up from where she was sitting next to Saya and found Sasuke standing there, frowning at her.

Her eyes went to the kunoichi's still form. She wondered if Saya was even listening. "I just don't get it. How could someone become so passive? It makes no sense."

Sasuke sighed. He sat down on the other side of the kunoichi and said, "When there is no agency, there is no torture that can break you. That's the principle. High-ranking shinobi are trained to be able to shut down their minds like this to avoid giving away important information under interrogation."

Sakura looked at him then. "You mean the usual interrogation." The raven didn't reply. He didn't need to. They both knew that his method wasn't usual. "What was it like in there?"

There was a pause, before Sasuke said, "Like any other minds. There are thoughts and memories, dreams and nightmares. Changing the state of mind doesn't mean she becomes anything other than human."

That comment eased the uneasiness in Sakura a bit. So Saya was still there, no matter how much she acted like her body had become a mere shell. "So she can still hear us?"

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow as if to say 'were you listening,' and he said, "Yes, she can."

An idea came to her then. She knew it was stupid, but she wanted to give it a try. She turned to Saya and asked, "Can you give Naruto a message from me?" She didn't see as much as feel the horror in Sasuke, but she went on. "Please tell him that his friends are waiting for him to come home," she continued. "We miss him a lot. Me and Sasuke, especially."

"Sakura," Sasuke hissed, but she wasn't deterred.

"Don't you have something you want to tell Naruto?" she asked. She was certain Sasuke had many, many things he wanted to tell Naruto, but he might not be ready for it, not yet anyhow. If she could get him thinking that was enough for now.

She watched as thoughts and emotions flitted through her friend's mind. Then the uncertainty vanished. His features became determined as he crouched closer to Saya. "I have something I need to tell you about your next target: Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura froze at the name. Of all things, this was not the topic she ever thought Sasuke would speak of, least of all to someone he barely knew. Sasuke was an intensely private person by nature, and the killing of his family and the man who did it was not something he even discussed with Sakura. What she knew she learned from someone else in bits and pieces. She couldn't help but felt a little disappointed.

But then again, it might just be that up until now no one had shared his goal in killing Itachi. Now Sasuke found a reason to actually speak up. "He possesses an advanced form of the Sharingan called the Mangekyou," the raven continued in a rush. "Those eyes can perform a genjutsu powerful enough to put strong shinobi into a coma and tailed beasts under his command. You won't be able to defeat him. Only Sharingan can fight Sharingan. So if you truly care about Naruto, you will lead him away from Itachi."

There was a pause in which no one spoke. Saya inaction had never been more apparent than right then. Even with the information, she was still looking in front of her, not showing any indication that she understood.

Sasuke spoke again, this time in a much quieter voice, "Itachi is also my brother. I'm the one who's supposed to kill him." At that, he stood up and walked away, needing some time to clear his head. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be when she saw Hinata rushing back towards them. Kakashi-sensei and the rest were right behind her.

"Have you seen anyone in the vicinity?" Kakashi asked. Sakura immediately went into high alert. Something had happened, or was about to happen, and it was not good.

"There is no one, sensei," she replied. Sasuke nodded to second her, and Hinata, who had been guarding the area, said the same.

Kakashi nodded. "Very good. We're leaving now. Target is not in the area." Then he proceeded to order the formation they were going to use even though no one in the first team had caught their breath yet.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked as she took her position alongside Shino. Kiba was in the front with Kakashi, conversing rapidly as they ran.

"We've stumbled on the headquarter unknowingly," Shino replied. "We must hurry before he is alerted to our presence."

"There are other shinobi?"

"No, there aren't other shinobi," Shino answered, breathing hard as they jumped from trees to trees. "But we suspect that the people there are involved in the shinobi business."

In short, a hidden village. Sakura grunted. Things just had to get harder, hadn't they? "So where are we heading?"

"After Noboru. Kiba found a trail that suggested he left the village last night, heading southeast."

It took them a few hours tracking the scent that led them back to where they started: General Tsubaki's compound. Hinata didn't sense any shinobi, but Shino's bug got another story for them. "General Tsubaki left this morning. He took a shinobi with him. His chakra wasn't powerful enough for the bugs to think him out of ordinary so it is very likely that he is Noboru," Shino said.

"We have to track Tsubaki, then," Kiba said. Sakura could hear the fatigue in his voice. He had been tracking since last night; his chakra was getting low. She countered that they should just ask people since Tsubaki's crest would be recognized anywhere, for good or for ill.

That was when Sasuke interrupted them. "Shino, did any messenger came by the compound with a message about Lady Fuyuku?" he asked.

They were surprised by this, but Kakashi-sensei caught on immediately. "You think they found the princess," he said.

"Tsubaki knows about the genjutsu. He knows he needs a shinobi when they find her or she will never come back to her senses," Sasuke explained. "In a country with deep contempt for the subversive, he wouldn't be caught associating himself with a shinobi unless it is absolutely necessary."

"He also can't let Noboru near Fuyuku until he knows the threat to her life is gone. He has to be there to ensure that," Shino added. He paused. "There was indeed a messenger that met with Tsubaki two days ago."

"Great," said Kakashi as he pulled out the map. "We don't have much time. Let's figure this out and get going."

/***/

The chirping came like a roaring wave through the forest. That was how Naruto knew there was news. Juugo got up to greet them, and the little flock of sparrows landed on his head and shoulders, each tweeting away. "Leaf are now moving west again. They are south of us," Juugo said as he gave the birds the treat of rice and grain.

Suigetsu was confused by the information. "I don't get it. What are they doing in a circle?"

What, indeed. Naruto bit his lips as he tried to understand what was going on. They were on a hunt for somebody in Rice. He was sure that was their primary mission. Six people meant they anticipated resistance or difficulties. He briefly entertained the thought of them coming after him, but that just couldn't be right. They knew better than to think that six people could subdue him, even with the two Sharingan users they had. So this hunt was more likely for someone else. The question was, who? How did Tsubaki tie into all this?

"Where do you think they are heading?" he asked to no one in particular. He just needed some idea to go on.

"There's nothing out west," replied Suigetsu. "Just rice fields and Lady Fuyuku. Or maybe they're after Tsubaki. The daimyo and the general headed there together yesterday."

The corner of Naruto's lips twisted up for a brief moment. So Tsubaki and the daimyo took his threat seriously. Good.

"Leaf double-backed to the compound, right? So maybe they need to meet Tsubaki for some reason?" Karin chimed in.

"That's the part I don't get," Naruto said. "Leaf shinobi work for Rice Daimyo, so there's no reason for them to contact Tsubaki-"

_Tsubaki-sama is a progressive thinker... The only one that does and can afford the shinobi service._

Naruto's eyes widened. Could it possibly be because of shinobi movements in Rice Country? "Noboru," he muttered. Juugo looked back curiously at him. He repeated himself louder this time. "They're after Noboru."

Suigetsu responded with a "What?" Karin frowned in disbelief and said, "But they couldn't have known about him, could they? Noboru's network operates under Leaf's radar."

The thing was, Naruto never talked to Noboru about it, and like any great spy Noboru was damn unreadable. He realized then that if there were any trouble with the network, Naruto wouldn't have a clue. "We don't know that, Karin." He paused. "But why are they going in the direction of Lady Fuyuku when they're after Noboru?"

There was a stretch of silence, when suddenly Juugo said, "Could it be that Tsubaki took him with?"

That was when everything clicked in Naruto's head. Leaf was after Noboru's trail. They doubled-backed because Noboru doubled-backed. Noboru doubled-back because his master called. His master called because he needed Noboru to dispel the genjutsu.

"We're moving out," he said before getting up and turning to Suigetsu. "You know where the princess is, right?"

"Yep," Suigetsu replied before getting up and pulling the massive sword from where he had hidden it for nearly two weeks. "Shall we?"

/***/

End of Chapter 34

**A/N:**

**l'Abre** I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry I can't write faster. I hope that at least you enjoy this one.

**Yuki078** Awww, I hope you don't get hit too hard. Please keep reading (because there're more :P).

**Guest** How mature to want someone who's annoyed you to die. Honestly, outrage is boring and lazy. Try being a bit more interesting and engage a bit more thoughtfully with things next time around.

**Reader2977** I'm glad you like it, and I'm sorry that I can't deliver a new chapter faster. I'd rather post something (that I think is) good than just anything, so it's been taking a long time. I hope you like this one.

**Anon** Thanks for your kind wishes, anon. Life has gotten in the way quite a lot this year. But here is some new material!

**Vortexswirl** It took me a while to remember precisely what I wrote in that chapter because I've been with future Sakura for waaaay too long to remember that now. I honestly don't know what you're outraged about since I said I will make her a more important character. That does not mean I will change her beyond recognition nor does it exclude the situations in which she will be in need of help. Actually, everyone will be in need of help at one point or more in their lives. And since I want Sakura to become a person rather than a cardboard character, there will be situations like that for her as well. That will also be true for Sasuke and Naruto. As an author once put it, a real hero's journey is the journey from strength to weakness, from thinking you're invincible to understanding and accepting the vulnerability and reality of being human. That is actually a much more challenging journey than the journey from weakness to strength.

(Sorry that I can't comment on your remark about geniuses. I honestly don't understand what you were trying to get at.)

**Skyrere** Great to see you around again! I'm glad you really feel the connection with my characters. I mean, that's the greatest compliment an author could possibly get (for me at least). I can only hope that the reason you like this story so much because I succeed in making their relationship being about two people rather than two characters in a typical yaoi story (that is not interesting to me either). Thanks for reading and commenting!.

**anon** Wow, I'm flattered! Thank you for reading and commenting!

**korohoshi** Nah, that's not Saya. Don't worry about being awkward. I didn't think you were. I like you swearing at Kakashi, but actually, I would say what they did was pretty humane considering treatments actual prisoners of war have to go through. :(

**guest** I feel like I need to write from this perspective because this is an original story, so I don't have anything else to help fill in the gaps. It also don't feel right to me to not talk at least in part about the consequence of Naruto's action, because I think we ignore that a little too often in shonen-type/superhero stories.

I'm glad you found Blade of the Immortal interesting! I haven't finished the story yet, actually (it being so long and all), but yeah I totally see Itachi/Sasuke in Anotsu. For me, the similarity is because he was a hyper-intelligent child who was considered by his grandfather as never being good enough. Anotsu also wants a revolution and, like you said, loses himself along the way of doing so. Magatsu is also like Kakashi in that he's a man unlucky in love (haha, well actually this laugh is pretty inappropriate considering what happened to his love-interest). Hyakurin is one of my favourite female character of all time. I mean, who gets an introduction scene as cool as hers! (In the manga, I mean. I tried watching the anime a little bit, and I'm just 'no.' Read the manga. Don't watch the anime.)

**Stilesbb** Awwwww, thank you. I don't mind long reviews. Actually, it lets me understand what's good and what's bad about my writing. Criticisms are also welcome! We'll get to see more of what Naruto thinks about Sasuke and Leaf later, but right now he's focused on something else. I'm glad you like Saya. Even if she's an OC, she's a character so it pleases me that she can connect with my readers. I don't think I'm going to write the Fourth Shinobi War, not in the shape and form in the manga anyway. But I still have to cover what happens to Itachi, Danzo, and Pein. I'll definitely take you up on your offer to discuss the story with you if there is an occasion. And about Miyu, we'll see her briefly sometime in the future.

**RavenPainter** I'm glad you like the last chapter. I felt like leaving her out was wrong somehow. I hope you like this chapter, too.

**eskimo-cones** Oh, thank you. I'm very flattered that you spent so much time reading my story. I'm glad you like my OC and that they fit because they're characters so they should, in principle, be like other characters. Thanks for reading!

**Mamori-sama** That's okay. Good to know it's not bad, though. I'd say it's related in terms that there isn't a story in the original to back this arc, so I need it. But, of course, that's just my opinion.

**kirlusella** No, I don't mind if you ask at all, but my answer might be disappointing though because it's both. I personally incline towards Narusasu myself, but for me, it's because it's hard to write canon!Sasuke topping without him being a pushy asshole, which happens in a lot of fanfictions, and I hate pushy assholes. (Not to say Naruto can't be a pushy asshole. His character just lends him less to that.) But I think that's more the fault of the romantic script those writers subscribed to than anything else. I'm more in the Stephen Fry's camp with the whole topping and bottoming thing. He said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that he sees a person as having the tendency towards giving love or receiving love rather than being the top or the bottom. And I think to be in a lasting relationship you have to learn to do both. One would probably come more naturally than the other, but still. So that's where I stand regarding the Narusasu/Sasunaru issue. There's still a long road and a steep learning curve for them, so please cheer them on!

**davycrockett100** Is kiu = keep it up? What's sjob, though? Regardless, thanks for reading and commenting!


	35. Chapter 35: Out of Time

**A/N: **Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year, everyone!

I must say I've been overwhelmed with joy from your responses in the last chapter. I hope this one lives up to the setup in the last one. Just to give you guys some updates, I have been flushing out Naruto's and Sasuke's interaction in the next arc with Ashimodo so to get it right. It's been harder than I thought because the boys are so awkward at each other, and why I haven't finished the first draft of the next arc yet (excuses, excuses). Also, _Yuri! on Ice_ had sucked me into the marvelous world of figure skating. Don't worry, I'm not going to jump ship and start writing a long fanfiction for that fandom because nothing I think of is going to top what the canon has to offer. (I love Kubo-sensei and Yamamoto-sensei so much I can't even.) Although, I would say, go watch it. :P

As always, this chapter has been edited by Ashimodo, and my responses to your responses are at the end of the chapter. Keep them coming. XD

Warning for violence in this chapter. You know, fights coming up and all that.

**Chapter 35: Out of Time**

Horses weren't the most common thing in a small village far away like theirs, especially not on a small road going out into the farmland. The sound of hooves was usually that of bulls and cows being herded up and down the countryside. So when she heard rapid noise of hooves in front of the house, she knew instantly that something was amiss.

She looked over to Hideo-san and knew that he thought the same. His face went grim as he looked at her and then at his son before getting up and said, "Wait here."

Isao got up and was about to protest but was silenced when his father shot him a stern look. So the boy stood there stock still as Hideo staggered to the door. He picked up the walking cane, dusty from its state of unused, and slid the door open.

Both her and Isao quickly went for the window as soon as the door was slid shut. Her blood ran cold when she saw the many horsemen outside. There were also men on foot standing a little further away, all of them armed. Her heart sank as she realized that in front of them Hideo's cane was practically useless.

Even so, the man didn't seemed fazed. He stood firm as two men rode forward. One of them was older than the other and dressed in the most colorful clothes she had ever seen. A nobleman perhaps. The other was younger and dressed as a warrior in light armor with a sword on his hip. Even in front of their magnificence, Hideo-san looked unimpressed.

"I've heard you provide shelter to a woman who wandered through this countryside, am I correct?" asked the nobleman.

Hideo said, "Yes, what of it?"

A samurai instantly came forward, shouting at Hideo-san to show proper respect before hitting him on the back on the knee so he would kneel. Someone else might be able to avoid the hit, but Hideo had to take it. He wobbled and fell to the ground with the cane barely providing any aid for the impact. The warrior snorted. "That should put you in your proper place. Now tell us, where is this lady you've been hiding?"

"I hide no one," replied Hideo. "And what business might you have with her?"

The warrior did not seem pleased by his reply and motioned for the samurai to punish him, but the older man raised his hand to stop him. The warrior glared back, disrespectful to the nobleman as Hideo was to them. "The business is ours," said the nobleman kindly but firmly. "Call her forth."

Hideo, to her horror, snorted. "Riding into other people's land and demanding this and that. You're a bunch of poor guests."

The warrior rode forward. "Do you know to whom you are speaking?"

"You didn't even introduce yourselves. How do I, a poor peasant who knows nothing but the land, know anything about you?"

The warrior's face was flushed with embarrassment. He seemed to back down but then he motioned the samurai again and the man hit Hideo on the side hard enough to make him nearly fall over. He didn't, not the first time at least, so the samurai set on hitting him again.

That was when she had enough. She rushed out the door just in time to stop Hideo-san from falling. The samurai glared at her with his eyes bulged in rage, but she was too angry to be afraid. "What is the meaning of this!?" she shouted. "Who are you to come to our house and treat the master like this?" There were looks of surprise on their faces, but she took no heed. She was looking around, making sure none of them was going to attack.

"Fuyuku?"

She felt like lightning struck her. She turned to the nobleman. He looked so familiar. His voice was familiar, just tired and shaken. But what stuck out the most was the name, that name.

He climbed down the horse with the help of his aids and rushed across the dirt ground towards her, but Isao was there before he was, putting himself in between her and a potential threat. The nobleman stopped in surprise. His eyes went from the boy to her, looking her up and down."Fuyuku, my beloved daughter. What have they done to you?" he said, choking on his words. He took another step forward, but Isao was again in the way, ready to fight him to protect his family. But somehow she could tell that the nobleman didn't mean them any harm. He didn't look hostile, simply sad.

"Seriously?" Hideo-san hissed under his breath, and she turned toward him. In his eyes was disbelief and... sadness. "_You_ are Lady Fuyuku?"

She wanted to say it was a mistake, but when she opened her mouth, she froze. She couldn't move a muscle, let alone giving any signal to deny it. They were mistaken. She was sure of that. She didn't know who this Fuyuku was. She didn't know who they were. Right then she just wanted to pull Hideo and Isao back inside the house and pretend that these people didn't exist.

The warrior took one look at her and called, "Noboru."

A young man stepped out from behind the horse and approached her. She flinched back and, he stopped in his track. His eyes were calm and assessing, then he bowed politely to both her and Hideo. "Pardon me, milady," he said as he turned toward her. "I wish to help you regain your memory."

She wanted to tell him no, wanted to say that she didn't want those memories or the name that didn't belong to her anymore. But her body froze. She couldn't get away as he walked calmly past Isao and crouched down in front of her.

"How?" she heard Hideo-san asked. She honestly didn't want to know how. She didn't want him messing with her mind.

"She is under a spell to suppress them. I simply have to lift it." His hands moved in a strange pattern before he touched her hand, and the world suddenly tilted.

She heard Isao cried "Nee-san!" as she fell back. Hideo caught her before she hit the ground, and Isao was there next to her just moments later. "Nee-san, what happened? Are you alright?"

Again, she was staring at the sky, the blue canvas painted with white dots drifting gently in the high wind, uncaring of the world of mortals below. She wished she could have been a cloud then. She wished she could live freely like one. But she couldn't, not any more.

"I am all right," she said as she sat up, suddenly very aware of her proximity with Hideo-san and the people surrounding her. There, right next to Noboru, was her father looking distraught, and on the horse was General Tsubaki, sympathetic but rather disinterested in the reunion.

"You should be disorientated for a moment, so please do not move too much yet," said the young man in front of her. "May I ask for your name, milady?"

"Fuyuku," she said without hesitation. That was her name. That was who she was. Names were important.

But as soon as the name was spoken, she felt Hideo's arm leave her and a sudden chill came over her. In his stead was her father sitting on the ground, not heeding the dirt that was getting on his fine silk clothes. "My child," he said as he cupped her face. His eyes was wet with tears.

"I apologize for making you worry, Father," she said, unable to hold her voice steady. Oh, how upset he must have been, her dear gentle father. She grabbed onto his sleeves and began to cry. Her beloved father had found her like she knew he would.

But her father finally finding her also meant that she would have to leave this place, this little raggedy house that had become her home, and the little family she had found here.

She looked over her father's shoulder to Hideo-san and Isao, both of them standing further away as if they were mere bystanders, and her heart squeezed unpleasantly in her chest. Her father turned to look as well. He said, "You forever have my gratitude for taking care of my child," he said as he got up, pulling her arm gently so she would stand with him.

Hideo's face closed up as he bowed politely. She heard Tsubaki snorted derisively as he rode over to Hideo. "Gratitude alone would not feed this man's family, my lord." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of money. He handed it over to Noboru who then took it to the man. "This is my gratitude for taking care of my future wife," said the general. She could see Hideo eyes' steeled.

"I simply let her stay with me. There is no need for your blood money."

The refusal, the way Hideo replied, angered the general. The samurai around them tensed, and she quickly broke free from her father's grasp.

"A warrior chooses a virtuous path not because of the profit, does he not?" she said to Tsubaki. "And I have never agreed to be betrothed to you, General." Tsubaki glared at her, but she shifted her eyes to Hideo-san and stayed there, taking in his features in a way she never did, committing every fine detail of his stature to her memory. "My gratitude could not be conveyed in material or in words," she said.

"Then don't," said Hideo. "You know how I feel about sentimentality... milady."

She nodded. "Of course," she said, willing herself to smile, but the tears were threatening to fall. "But I will say thank you anyway."

Hideo nodded. "I won't stop you." But there was something in his voice that sounded like defeat, like he had given up. Hideo-san, who had fought against all odds, had given up because this was the something he could not fight against.

She really cried then. Her body was racking from her silent sobs. She opened her mouth and said, "I-"

"Please, no sentimentality," he said. He was looking at her feet but not at her, so she shut her mouth and bowed as low as she could.

"Thank you," she said, "I am forever in your debt."

When she looked up, his face had softened as he quietly replied, "Have a good life, milady."

She had wanted to hug him and Isao. She had wanted to say that they would forever be her family and forever had her love and well wishes. She wanted to say thank you to a million things Hideo-san and Isao had shown her over the short time they'd spent together: both hardship and kinship. But all she could do was nod and tell him likewise, before turning her back on them, going back to her father, the palace, the fine silk clothes, the painted face, and the fate of a woman on whose shoulders rested the future of her country.

Destiny was indeed a cruel mistress.

/***/

They were rushing at full speed non-stop across the countryside, knowing that Tsubaki was already at his destination and Noboru might disappear again soon. Sasuke had Saya on his back as they ran on the canal, the fastest lane to anywhere in Rice Country. It might have been better to leave her behind, but Kakashi still feared the shadow of the Scums, or more specifically Naruto. Sasuke could understand that. He could see from the little of her memory that he had seen that there was a close relationship between them, that the blond trusted her more than he had ever trusted anyone. He would come for Saya, and a part of Sasuke wanted him to. Her presence might keep him in place long enough for Sasuke to finally speak to him.

What he didn't bet on was how fast Naruto would find them.

Kakashi signalled a halt when he spotted an orange-haired man standing in the middle of the canal right in their path. Sasuke instantly recognized him as the shape-shifter Juugo.

"Hand over the prisoner and you will be free to go," said the man as he stared at Kakashi with an unreadable gaze. The tension spiked. Everyone knew now who they were facing, and the attention focused on their enemy. Sasuke on the other hand was looking around. If Juugo was here, the rest of the Scums had to be somewhere close by.

Just as he was thinking of suggesting that they disperse, the redhead girl appeared to their left. "This is not a request," she said, "You are already trapped."

It was in the middle of Karin talking that Sasuke sensed something from below him and jumped off the water a mere second before watery hands shot up and tried to grab onto his legs. The rest of his team weren't so lucky. The hands pulled them ankle-deep into the water and held them there.

"Ah, man, almost got him," said Suigetsu, crouching on the water behind them with his hand underneath the surface. He smirked. "But you're only one man now, Uchiha. Might as well give up."

Sasuke locked eyes with Kakashi and knew what his teacher would say. "Free her, Sasuke."

Kakashi had made their priority clear. They were here for Noboru, not the Scums. Kakashi kept Saya with them specifically as a bargaining chip. Now that she'd became a liability, they would let her go. But every fiber in Sasuke's body told him not to follow that order. Losing Saya would mean losing his chance to talk to Naruto. He knew he wouldn't get a chance like this again, not in years. Maybe never. And Naruto would once again be out of his reach. Once again, Sasuke would be chasing after his back but never truly reach him.

He crouched down so that Saya could stand. He remained there even after her feet touched the ground, not moving from his place.

Then he heard the footsteps coming from behind Juugo. Sasuke looked up and there was Naruto in a brown cloak, his face unreadable as he said, "Release the chakra bind." It was a command that made Sasuke swallow. Naruto's eyes were cold, unperturbed by the sight of his old team and his old friends. He didn't even bother to acknowledge any of them. His sight was firmly set on Saya, and that annoyed the raven to no end.

"No," he muttered. He grabbed Saya by the waist, hauled her onto his shoulder and ran for the tree lines at top speed. He could feel Naruto catching up on him, but Sasuke bet that he was still faster, at least fast enough to get to the trees before Naruto could really get close to him.

But then Naruto's chakra became three. Sasuke cursed under his breath as he reached the forest and needed to slow down. At that moment, he was tackled. Saya slipped out of his grasp and he was pushed face first to the ground. The weight on his hip and back pressed him down with enough force to keep him still. He turned to see what had happened to the kunoichi and saw Saya held like a bride in the arms of another clone, apparently uninjured.

Sasuke couldn't catch what they were saying when his head got slammed back down. "You should know by now that you can't play catch with me, Sasuke" whispered the clone into his ear. "I'll always win."

Sasuke snorted in reply and was greeted by a pain on his scalp as Naruto's clone pulled his head back by the hair. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.

"I don't think you understand the situation here," the clone continued. "I could kill all of you to get her back, but I didn't. I'm even willing to let you carry out your mission and hunt down my acquaintance. I'm seriously wondering if I should just kill you lot, so I don't have to deal with this kind of fucking headache-"

"Okay, that's enough menacing, Menma. Let him go."

Sasuke didn't know if he should be relieved or not when he heard Naruto's calm voice coming from behind them, and the pressure on his head and back let up. The clone groaned in frustration. "You know I hate that name, Naruto."

"Yeah? So do I. Quit being a psycho and release him already."

Another groan and Sasuke felt the presence disappear altogether. He turned over, pushed himself up, and was greeted by Naruto's dispassionate stare. "Get out of my sight before I make you," he said slowly. There wasn't anger in his voice. Naruto didn't even bother to take another glance at Sasuke before he turned to Saya, an absolute dismissal if Sasuke had ever seen one.

He was treated like he meant nothing... again.

"I haven't taken the chakra bind off her yet," said Sasuke steadily, trying to look for anything underneath Naruto's mask of disinterest.

Naruto simply watched his clone undoing the rope on Saya wrists and checking her for injury even as she exasperatedly told him that she was fine. He replied, "I'll go find someone else to do it."

Sasuke wanted to tell him that there wouldn't be anybody else who could undo it. He'd developed that seal with Jiraiya. Only someone in the same level as the sannin would be able to crack it. He knew, though, that his anger and frustration wouldn't take him anywhere. He had to stay on track. "Or you can just listen to my request," he said.

Apparently, he couldn't really keep arrogance away from his voice, not even when negotiating, and Naruto's head whipped towards Sasuke before he stalked over. His mere presence made the raven take a step back before he could stop himself. "I don't need to listen to any of your bullshit, Uchiha."

"Even if it means your life?" Sasuke asked, pushing back against the domineering aura that Naruto put out. "I know you're after Itachi."

"So?"

"You won't be able to defeat him."

"We'll see about that," Naruto sneered.

Sasuke huffed. "His Sharingan can control your tailed beast. You're going to lose if you go up against him."

That assessment seemed to offend Naruto greatly. Sasuke braced himself for both verbal and physical violence when Saya interrupted them. "He's right, Naruto." The blond turned toward her and was about to say something but she cut him off. "I assume Uchiha's request has something to do with this, so let's at least hear him out."

Naruto bristled, but he didn't object. A look from her was all that was needed to make him agree. "Alright, just say what you come to say."

Despite the unpleasantness in his chest, he said, "My request is to join the Scums for the purpose of hunting down Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto's reaction was, predictably, "What?"

"We don't recruit," Saya replied.

"Then consider this a barter," said Sasuke. "I hire the Scums for the purpose of tracking Itachi, and the Scums take my service as the payment."

"No. Fucking. Way." said Naruto, but Sasuke kept his eyes on Saya. The kunoichi watched him closely, and he had to wonder what she saw. Would she let him join? Would Naruto veto her decision if she did? Whatever it was that she saw seemed to satisfy her. She turned to Naruto and said, "I don't think we have another choice."

Naruto's eyes basically bulged. "You can't be serious."

"But I am," replied Saya as she walked over to Sasuke. She lifted her hands up and on her wrists were two bands of black scripts. "Unbind me and we'll consider this a deal."

Naruto began to protest some more, but Sasuke ignored him and performed the hand signs to release the seal. The scripts began moving once he placed his hands on the side of her arms and made their way onto his palms, freeing her from its binding. "It's done," he said as he pulled back, but then he felt something hit the back of his neck and the world turned black.

/***/

Sakura gritted her teeth as she molded the chakra at her feet and tried to dislodge the hold of the water. To her frustration, the liquid just parted and made her sink even deeper, as if it had a mind of its own. And she wasn't the only one struggling. Kiba was having just as hard a time trying to pull his legs out, shouting profanities as he did so. Shino had tried to swarm the blue-haired man with his bugs, but the watery hands just caught and drown them. After two attacks without success, Shino stopped to save the rest of his hoard.

Sakura looked to Kakashi-sensei for help but none was forthcoming. Her teacher stood calmly as he took in the situation and said, "This can't go on forever."

"It won't. Just until we're sure that senpai's safe," said the swordsman - Sakura could almost hear his smugness - "although, if I can have it my way, I'd rather fight the man who killed Zabuza-senpai than holding him in place, you know."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, turning his head slightly to the back as he did so, "So you are from the Mist," he said.

"Were. I haven't been there in a long time. They probably assume that I'm dead." The man chuckled. "No matter. Shinobi's business isn't my business anyway."

"Then why are you here?" Kakashi asked. "Meddling in a country's affair doesn't seem like your style."

"Trust me. If it were left to me, I wouldn't be here either. And I wouldn't be just sitting around holding this jutsu when we could be having so much fun." Sakura could almost see his sickening grin in her mind's eye. "Boss normally doesn't like wasting lives unnecessarily, but somehow I got a feeling that he wouldn't mind me playing around with you guys too much."

"Suigetsu," came the warning from the redhead girl. "We don't have time for this."

"Killing them will only make Leaf hunt us down," said the giant. "We don't want that, not when we have more important things to do."

Suigetsu huffed in reply but otherwise did not protest. Sakura couldn't help but wonder what the more important things were, and whether the one he called 'Boss' was Naruto. She just couldn't believe that Naruto would allow a psychopath to harm them just for fun. They might not be on the same side anymore, but, surely, there was still some connection between them, wasn't there?

They heard a loud whistle coming from the tree line. All of them turned to that direction and what they saw was Saya, alive and well, giving another whistle signal. Next to her was Naruto holding something on his shoulder. Sakura's blood froze as her eyes traced the familiar form. It was Sasuke.

"About time," Suigetsu said. He looked over to the giant and asked, "Any parting gift for these people, Juugo?"

The giant nodded. "The general and the daimyo have already made contact with Lady Fuyuku. They should be leaving the village shortly," he said.

Sakura really didn't care at this point whether Lady Fuyuku would ever be found. Her eyes were fixed on Sasuke's unmoving body and her mind on the possibilities of things that Naruto could have done to him. Naruto, who Sasuke loved so dearly. Naruto, who no longer cared.

As soon as the jutsu was released, she ramped up the chakra to her legs and ran as fast as she could towards the trees. She could hear shouting from behind, understood the frantic urgency encapsulated in her name, but she didn't care, didn't listen. She was angry. She was scared. But above all, she was afraid that she was too late, that Sasuke had gone too far and Naruto might have...

In her horror, she didn't sense the presence approaching her from behind. She was knocked over to the side, sliding painfully against the hard rugged earth of the dry rice field. It hurt, but it was nothing. She gritted her teeth and got up only to find the three shinobi reaching the tree line where Naruto stood. Naruto took one glance at them then at her before turning away.

"NO," she shouted as she began running towards them once again.

Suddenly walls of earth appeared before her. She concentrated the chakra to her fist and smashed them to pieces one after another, but when all the walls finally fell, the Scums were gone. There wasn't a trace of Naruto or anyone. And her lips began to shake.

"SASUKEEE!"

Aside from the frightened birds fleeing from her vicinity, there was no movement. Sakura never heard a sound in reply.

/***/

End of Chapter 35

**A/N:**

** throatcore**

Now that this chapter is out, you got your answers, my friend. There will still be some wrapping up to do in the next few chapters, so we're not done with the emotional shit-storm yet. (Will we ever be, I wonder.)

** LeyCoo**

Welcome back! Dude, it took me a while, too, so we're pretty much even. :D I'm glad you like it so far. We'll definitely be seeing our boys dealing with their emotions soon(ish), but Akatsuki is still in the way of their future, so we'll see what happen (when we get there...and I do hope it's going to be soon).

** .5095110**

Nope, not at all. I mean, considering how Konoha treated him, I'd say Naruto had a legit reason to bail.

** another wannabe author**

Favourite or follow it so you don't have to. :P

** montyblack101**

Here you go!

** Kikuriki**

Hohoho, Orochimaru flipping the Akatsuki would have been hilarious!

** ColorfulNympho**

Not often would be the answer. :( I wish I can be quicker, but I'm not a professional writer, so yeah.

** Guest**

Ah, if you're looking for some sexy bits, you'll be waiting a long time for that. I did not kid you when I said it's a slow burn. I really love seeing your reactions to each chapter. Those give me life! XD

** Huzzah**

Huzzah! I am back once more (before disappearing again). Gosh, I honestly did not know how tiring extended and frequent traveling can be. Not doing that again, tbh. Now back to writing.

** lukabayo**

Thank you for all your comments! Knowing my readers enjoy this keeps me going! Yeah, Naruto is a softie no matter how hard-ass he is trying to be at times. 'Actions', as we shall call it, will have to wait for now. I just don't think the two of them could get into a physical relationship yet because they just don't know how, not in a way that won't hurt each other at least. But we'll get there. I can't really promise you about Utakata. I do have an idea when he will show up, but I don't know for sure how long he'll stay yet and how he's going to leave the scene if he does before the end. That's really all I can say right now because that's a few arcs ahead, and I still have to finish the next one. :( (This is taking too long, honestly.)

As for your comment on Sakura's parents, yes, I've watched Road to Ninja, but, no, I did not use it as a reference. I'm basically restricting myself to the manga to be consistent, but I'll pull in the anime stuff when there isn't info available from the primary source (i.e., Kishimoto). Utakata's case would be an example of that. I think Kishimoto might have mentioned Sakura parents in the manga, too, although I don't recall where. I think her dad dropped out after not being able to pass the Chuunin exam or something, so my guess is that he's not really shinobi material. Neither is her mom. Couple that with Sakura's character early in the series, my guess is that she was brought up more or less a civilian, and hence why I set it up that way.

I have a question for you actually, how do people write dark!Naruto reacting to his parentage usually? For me, Naruto himself sucker-punching the very image of his dad when he found out would tell me he's not jolly about it.

** l'Arbre**

I'm sorry I can't update more often. Having someone so close being diagnosed with cancer is never going to be okay, but I hope the toll on you and your family has been manageable.

** davycrockett100**

Thanks, man!


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